Workshop: Food Safety Challenges for Mediterranean Products. Climate change and food safety. Agustín Ariño

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1 Workshop: Food Safety Challenges for Mediterranean Products Climate change and food safety Agustín Ariño June 11, 2014

2 What is climate change? Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years Climate change is caused by many factors such as variations in solar radiation, plate tectonics, volcanic eruptions, and human activities (GLOBAL WARMING)

3 Carbon dioxide Nitrous oxide Methane Sulfur hexafluoride Increasing greenhouse gases trap Greenhouse effect more heat Incoming solar radiation

4 280 ppm in preindustrial times

5 Effects on temperature (and UV radiation)

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7 Effects on precipitation (humidity vs. drought)

8 Increased frequency and intensity of extreme events Disasters: floods, cyclones, heat waves

9 Changes in the ecosystems FOOD SECURITY AND FOOD SAFETY

10 Impacts on crop production Insect pests Greater numbers, increased insecticide use and resistance Altered geographic range Imports from foreign sources Pathogens Host-pathogen response changes Emerging plant pathogens Extreme events spread pathogens Weeds Increased vigor, herbicide resistance Altered geographic range

11 Impacts on livestock production Feed Grain & Forage Altered quantity and quality Animal Heat & Humidity Stress More vulnerability to diseases Diseases & Pests Shifting intensity and distribution of diseases and vectors Emerging animal pathogens Increased use of drugs

12 Impacts on marine ecosystem Aquatic pathogens such as Vibrio, viruses, parasites Higher water temperatures, precipitations and changes in water salinity Harmful algal blooms and biotoxins Global increase has been linked to climate change Chemical contaminants Flooding, run-offs, longrange transport

13 Implications for Public Health Deaths and hospitalization due to heat waves Injuries and death from flooding Emergence and re-emergence of communicable diseases and their shifting distribution Effects of food- and waterborne diseases

14 Climate change Food safety

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16 Epidemiologic triad AGENTS Microbial adaptation and change Novel strains? HOSTS Susceptibility to infections, feeding changes ENVIRONMENT Climate-weather, changing ecosystems (vectors)

17 Diverse influence paths on infectious diseases

18 Monthly cases of food-borne Salmonella in relation to monthly temperature in Australia Salmonella 80 cases / month Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Perth Adelaide yr Temperature o C

19 Salmonellosis and temperature rise in Europe E. coli and Shigella behave similarly to Salmonella Role of temperature rise in the transmission of Campylobacter, Listeria and Norovirus is weak

20 Water-borne diseases Climate directly has an impact on waterborne infectious diseases through effects on precipitation patterns, water temperature, salinity Vibrio, Salmonella typhi, viruses, Giardia, Cryptosporidium The frequency of harmful algal blooming and biotoxins is expected to increase with climate change

21 Food-borne trematodes

22 Malaria Transmissibility: Temperature and Biology Plasmodium Incubation period (days) P.vivax P.falciparum (per day) Biting frequency Temp ( C) Temp ( C) TRANSMISSION POTENTIAL Temperature ( C) Shifting distribution: Chikungunya virus outbreak in Europe (2007)

23 Temperature and humidity stress for grow-finish swine

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25 Chemical hazards Climate change

26 Transport of chemical contaminants in a changing climate

27 Increased or altered precipitation and winds Unpredictable contamination by flood discharges and run-offs Flooded fields, damaged crops, and increased runoff of contaminants Increased runoff from livestock may cause crop contamination and damage to stored food Spread of dust-associated pollutants (and allergens) by the wind Increased soil erosion leading to sediment contamination of water bodies

28 Long-range mercury transport Sea-to-air heat transfer

29 Climate change and mycotoxins

30 Increased exposure to mycotoxins Extreme precipitation, storms and floods cause moist conditions that promote fungal growth Drought weakens seed kernels of plants, allowing greater fungal contamination Increased temperatures promote fungal growth INCREASED EXPOSURE TO MYCOTOXINS Aflatoxins are expected to become more prevalent as climate continues to change

31 Aflatoxin M1 in milk Milk is contaminated with aflatoxin M1 following dietary exposure of lactating animals to aflatoxin B1 present in feedstuffs (i.e. maize) Transfer rate is from 1-2% to 6%

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33 Summary Climate change and variability may have an impact on the occurrence of food safety hazards at various stages of the food chain worldwide, from primary production through to consumption

34 Main potential impacts Increasing microbial food and water contamination and associated diseases Increasing parasitic diseases and vectors of transfer of zoonotic pathogens Modifying the patterns of fungi and mycotoxin contamination Increasing harmful algal blooms and marine biotoxins in coastal areas Increasing environmental contaminants and chemical residues in the food chain Increasing illnesses due to food and water contamination in emergencies

35 Consequences for risk management Need for enhanced surveillance and greater speed in addressing emerging threats (build an early warning system) Develop new research methods that are rapid cost effective for detection of food pathogens and contaminants Develop techniques for prevention and control of pathogens and contaminants Equip health departments with state of the art technology detection, diagnosis, traceability, data collection, report and communication

36 Thanks for your attention