CLIMATE CHANGE AND FOOD SAFETY

This fact sheet from the Global Climate and Health Alliance examines the relationship between climate change and food safety, highlighting how temperature and rainfall changes increase the risk of food- and water-borne diseases, harmful algal blooms, and malnutrition.

• Climate change increases the risk of food- and water-borne diseases by influencing the growth, survival, transmission, and virulence of pathogens, as well as altering the habitats of host species for zoonotic pathogens. Specific examples include Salmonella and Campylobacter, which show higher incidences during warmer temperatures, and Vibrio cholerae, where a strong positive relationship exists between temperature and incidence in endemic countries.
• Climate change acts as a catalyst for the global expansion of cyanobacterial algal blooms. This occurs through the interaction of higher water temperatures, reduced vertical mixing of water, and increased droughts, storms, and floods with nutrient loading from fertilizer run-off. These blooms produce toxins, deplete dissolved oxygen, and threaten water supplies and fishing.
• Climate change threatens nutrition both directly and indirectly. Directly, changes in temperature and rainfall are projected to result in approximately 25 million additional malnourished children by 2050. Indirectly, it contributes to malnutrition through food safety risks and diarrheal diseases, creating a cycle where food insecurity leads people to consume more "unsafe foods" or alternative sources like bush-meat.
• In Arctic Canada, increased snowmelt and higher rainfall are linked to lower water quality and a rise in infectious gastroenteritis cases.

APA

Global Climate and Health Alliance (n.d.). CLIMATE CHANGE AND FOOD SAFETY. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Climate-Food-Safety-Briefing.pdf

Chicago

Global Climate and Health Alliance. CLIMATE CHANGE AND FOOD SAFETY. n.d. https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Climate-Food-Safety-Briefing.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Climate and Health Alliance |title=CLIMATE CHANGE AND FOOD SAFETY |url=https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Climate-Food-Safety-Briefing.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalclimateandhealthalliancendclimate, author = {{Global Climate and Health Alliance}}, title = {{CLIMATE CHANGE AND FOOD SAFETY}}, institution = {Global Climate and Health Alliance}, url = {https://climateandhealthalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Climate-Food-Safety-Briefing.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }