Significance of Climate Change in Food Safety and Hygiene

Abstract

Context: Climate change has a profound impact on food safety and poses a significant threat to public health. The effects of climate change are inevitable due to alterations in rainfall patterns, increasing weather events, and the average annual temperature. With the progress of climate change, extreme weather events and natural calamities will become more common. Evidence Acquisition: We searched electronic databases, including Scopus, PubMed, and ScienceDirect, for papers concerning climate change and food safety or hygiene. Results: Changes in weather patterns, along with an increase in the earth's temperature, can increase food infections, poisonings, antibiotic consumption, and microbial resistance. Lack of healthy agricultural water causes changes in pests, more use of agricultural pesticides, and chemical pollution. Conclusions: Floods and rainfall changes bring about fungal growth of agricultural products and bacterial growth and accumulation of toxins in seafood. This study reviewed climate changes in the past and present food safety and warned of emerging risks.