A recent study done for the Food Research International Journal shows that climate change not only affects food security but it also links to food safety concerns. The researchers from Ghent University and Wageningen University have discovered a relationship between food contamination in fruits and vegetables and long-term changes in rainfall and temperature.
The study was achieved with help from the Veg-i-Trade project. They provided statistical analyses and field research that showed the link between contamination in fruits and vegetables and variables in a climate like rainfall and temperature. This can cause fungal growth which can cause complications for the produce.
How can climate change affect food safety?
One of the examples provided by the journal was flooding. Different areas are now more prone to having floods as a result of the change in climate. This means there will be a higher concentration of dangerous bacteria thriving in fruits and vegetables. The bacteria may be eradicated by sunlight, but exposure is uncertain because of erratic weather.
The article concluded that it is important to adapt our food safety standards to climate change, each country will have different ways of doing this. Even within countries, different areas may call for different strategies to mitigate the effects of climate change on food safety.
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