Climate-sensitive biological and chemical preharvest food safety hazards in Canadian agriculture: A scoping review

Abstract

Climate change poses risks to food safety at the preharvest level. Synthesized high-quality evidence on the impacts of meteorological variables —temperature, precipitation, humidity, and extreme weather—on food contamination is essential for informing food safety policy and interventions. This scoping review aimed to synthesize peer-reviewed and grey literature on these effects and identify knowledge gaps. Using a registered a priori protocol, searches were conducted in MEDLINE via Ovid, Web of Science, AGRICOLA, and CAB International and grey literature sources. Two independent reviewers conducted a two-phase screening process on retrieved literature to identify eligible studies that examined meteorological variable impacts on preharvest food contamination specifically in Canada, the United States, or Europe. A total of 45 studies were included, with data extracted and synthesized. This review identified the impacts of meteorological variables on food safety hazards in grains (16/45), livestock (12/45), produce (10/45), and irrigation water (8/45). In grains, changes in precipitation, temperature, and humidity were strongly interconnected and linked with increased mycotoxin contamination. Seasonal changes and higher temperatures elevated biological hazards among livestock. Produce contamination, notably in leafy green vegetables, increased with higher temperatures, precipitation, and flood events. Irrigation water sources demonstrated increased contamination following increased precipitation, primarily. These findings highlight the critical influence of meteorological variables on preharvest food safety, underscoring the need for targeted mitigation and adaptation strategies to safeguard food systems in the face of climate change.