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Safe and Sustainable Food Systems in an Era of Accelerated Climate Change

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Safe and Sustainable Food Systems in an Era of Accelerated Climate Change KEY MESSAGES SAFE AND Agriculture is facing an unprecedented confluence of pressures that is causing profound changes in our SUSTAINABLE food production (crop, livestock, forestry, fishery and FOOD SYSTEMS aquaculture) systems. A paradigm shift in practices is required to ensure a IN AN ERA OF sufficient supply of safe food at a global level while at the same time mitigating climate ACCELERATED change and minimizing environmental impacts. CLIMATE CHANGE As food production systems transform to adapt to changing conditions, there is need to carefully consider impacts on food safety and to evaluate optimal ways to address potential risks. INTRODUCTION The world is facing unprecedented global obstacles1 of the food produced globally2, most of which can be that affect the sustainability of food and agriculture attributed to weaknesses in food safety and quality systems and the livelihoods of smallholders and management along value chains. All agriculture family farmers worldwide. These problems include sectors - crop, livestock and aquaculture - are resource depletion and the adverse impacts of therefore at a cross-road. Concurrent with environmental degradation, such as desertification, increases in agriculture productivity, negative drought, land degradation, water scarcity, pollution environmental impacts must not only be minimized, and loss of biodiversity; climate change; and an but reversed. This represents a paradigm shift in ever-increasing world population. Collectively, agriculture towards sustainable intensification that these challenges pose serious threats to food is prepared for shocks and change, such as climate security. Hunger and chronic undernourishment variability and emerging and re-emerging food are on the rise and preventable foodborne diseases safety crises. National, international and inter- continue to affect millions annually. Furthermore, sectoral responses, policies, capacity development, there are projections that, by 2050, the growing innovations and incentives are needed that address world population may require twice as much food food safety concerns associated with this fast pace as was produced in 2012. This is a problem that is of natural, technological, demographic and social exacerbated by the loss or waste of about one-third change. KEY EMERGING FOOD SAFETY CHALLENGES 1. harmful algal blooms. Methylation of of sustainable agriculture takes into CLIMATE CHANGE AND mercury is proportional to atmospheric account food safety along with a host ITS IMPACTS ON mercury, seawater temperature, pH of other multi-sectoral topics such as FOOD SAFETY and eutrophication. The current level of economic planning, trade, education, methylmercury is close to 29 percent of social affairs, health, energy, transport, The infections of plants and animals all Hg in sub-surface ocean waters and natural resources and the environment. with microorganisms harmful to this is expected to double by 2050. The The idea that changes in any of these humans is influenced by a number links between climate change and the outwardly unrelated sectors may environmental conditions. Thus, foodborne disease prevalence need to introduce food safety hazards must be climate change has the potential be defined and effective adaptation and maintained at the forefront of decision- to directly impact food safety. For intervention strategies introduced. making. It is critically important that all example humidity, water availability, government ministries concerned with and temperature affect likelihood of nutrition and agriculture coordinate fungal contamination and accumulation 2. and align their policies and their of mycotoxins. Heavy rainfall events SUSTAINABLE communication efforts across sectors and flooding can contribute to INTENSIFICATION AND to achieve sustainable intensification. transmission of zoonotic agents FOOD SAFETY and chemical contaminants from 2.1 livestock to the environment, crops, In the context of long-term food Sustainable crop production and to other livestock and to humans. security and to meet increasing food by incorporating ecologically based Eutrophication, due to the nutrient demands, increased production of food management strategies into farming enrichment of aquatic environment, must be accomplished by producing practices, seeks to increase yields is a source of the contamination of more from reduced available land while limiting the need for excessive seafood through toxin-producing and by using fewer inputs. This type application of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. However, applying organic Appropriate intensification policies increasingly complicated due to the fertilizers, such as manure or organic and government interventions are number of different species being (food or industrial) waste, or irrigation needed at all scales of production, as cultured, the culture environment, the with wastewater may inadvertently well as specific food safety standards systems and types of management distribute heavy metals and microbial and regulations. The current dangers and scale of operation. Fish is also the contaminants across arable land of antimicrobial resistant organisms most traded food commodity, while and on crops. Climate change and emerging and emanating from livestock creating new market opportunities for intensification contribute to increased production will continue to threaten farmed aquatic animals, in the absence disease pressure, amplifying the need the safety of the food supply. of appropriate biosecurity, the spread for better integrated pest management of pathogens and diseases is increased. strategies and adequate capacity However, the use of novel feed These trends have all led to increased for comprehensive pesticide risk additives such as prebiotics, probiotics reliance on veterinary medicines assessments on the international and bioactive substances to improve to ensure successful production. A scale that evaluate, and periodically immunity, reduce emissions and number of veterinary medicines used re-evaluate as necessary, residues enhance production without in aquaculture have been shown to and mixtures of residues of pesticides antimicrobial growth promoters have potential harmful effects on occurring in crops. needs to be thoroughly evaluated to human, leading to bans on their use avoid unintended consequences on in aquaculture. The emergence of Controlled-environment agriculture food safety. vaccines has dramatically reduced technologies (e.g. hydroponics, dependence on antimicrobials in vertical farming) extend growing 2.3 some sectors of aquaculture. More seasons and conserve water Sustainable aquaculture production judicious use of veterinary medicines resources but augment the potential produces more than half of all fish by aquaculturists, better enforcement for the spread of foodborne consumed by humans. Disease is an of current regulations by government pathogens and contaminants if important sustainability issue and the and improved health extension introduced into this concentrated situation in aquaculture has become support to farmers would result in mass production operation. 2.2 Sustainable livestock production is required to meet the growing demand for meat: projections indicate that meat demand in low and middle- income countries may grow by 80 percent by 2030 and by 200 percent by 2050. Unless addressed at the onset, intensification of livestock production in its current form will impact human health through environmental contamination and increased food safety hazards. For example, mixed crop-livestock production systems represent about half of the world’s food production from smallholder farms. Ensuring that these systems are sustainable and while at the same time mitigating the risk of food safety hazards in crop-livestock systems, such as through fertilization or contaminated feeds, is critical. 1. FAO 2017. The future of food and agriculture – trends and challenges. http://www.fao.org/3/a-i6583e.pdf 2. FAO 2011. Global food losses and food waste. http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/mb060e/mb060e00.pdf more prudent and responsible use of processes”. There are demonstrated THE veterinary medicines in the sector. At positive environmental effects of the same time, integrated systems in this practice. Japan is a leader in the many regions may introduce other food recycling of food waste as feed and FUTURE OF safety risks: animal waste used to feed has developed a market premium fish frequently contains high levels of of “ecofeed” for pork products to FOOD heavy metals, such as zinc and mercury, incentivize safe recycling in the pig and occasionally zoonotic pathogens. sector. Nevertheless, feeding food Using manure slurry as feed for fish waste to animals is still being debated SAFETY can contaminate fish and the use of in many countries due to concerns Transforming knowledge into waste as fertilizer can contaminate about disease control, food safety and crops. Food safety implications consumer acceptance. The intensive action for people, economies should be considered when modifying production of insects for human and the environment aquaculture practices to address food and animal feed is also being intensification challenges. explored, driven largely by their low environmental footprint. The use of insects as food and feed is traditional 3. in some countries, and novel in others, ALTERNATIVE FOOD AND and this difference of perspective FEED PRODUCTS possibly underlies the divergent food safety regulatory approaches being Alternative food and feed products applied
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