Global warming, climate change and the safety of food of animal origin

Climate change has already been seen to have had an impact on the safety of food of plant and animal origin in Europe. Intensive monitoring has recently been performed on the effects of climate change and global warming on the occurrence and distribution of toxigenic microfungi (moulds), producers of aflatoxins (e.g. Aspergillus flavus), ochratoxin A (e.g. Aspergillus carbonarius and Penicillium verrucosum) and Fusarium mycotoxins (e.g. Fusarium graminearum and F. verticillioides) in maize in temperate climates. The contamination of cereal grain with ochratoxin A has resulted in the subsequent entry of ochratoxin A into pork meat and pork kidneys via the pork feed chain. The contamination of maize grain with aflatoxin B1 has resulted in the subsequent entry of aflatoxin M1 into milk via the dairy cow feed chain. The occurrence of ticks contaminated with the tick-borne encephalitis virus at over 1 000 metres above sea level is other example. The tick-borne encephalitis virus can be transmitted during consumption of raw (non-pasteurised) milk and milk products from infected animals, primarily goats. Tick-borne encephalitis may be caused after consumption of contaminated raw milk and milk products if the infected person has not been vaccinated.