Issue Climate-driven relocation of food production weakening traceability

Summary

Among the longer-term uncertainties for foodborne disease, the report highlights climate-driven shifts in where food is produced. Climate change could move food production to new regions with less familiar threats and weaker tracing procedures. The report judges that this could lead to frequent imports of contaminated food and deadly outbreaks in the UK, undermining public trust in food systems. It explains that foodborne disease already has a cross-border side, as shown by 241 Salmonella infections among travellers returning from Türkiye in the first half of 2023. It also observes that pathogens can enter the food supply at many stages, so reliance on global supply chains makes tracing harder.