Proactive systems for early warning of potential impacts of natural disasters on food safety: Climate-change-induced extreme events as case in point

According to a recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the frequency of certain climate extremes is expected to increase under the influence of climate change. This review presents potential direct and indirect effects of such extremes as well as other severe weather and hydro-meteorological events on the occurrence of hazards in food produced by various agricultural systems. In addition, we review the applicability of early warning systems to warn of the development of food safety hazards induced by natural disasters, with climate-change-induced extreme events as case in point. Monitoring systems focused on food safety hazards may miss - or pick up with delay - the occurrence of new hazards or known hazards in food products in which they previously did not occur. We conclude that, by better use of the available information (being plant-, animal-, human disease-focused systems monitoring weather and other environmental conditions and/or systems collecting publications on the internet), the negative impact of severe natural events on food safety can be minimized. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.