When someone talks about climate change, what comes to your mind? It may be rising temperatures and extreme weather.
But how do these phenomena affect us? A new study in BMC Public Health highlights an important personal consequence: the food people eat every day may be becoming less safe — and that could be increasing the spread of disease across Sub-Saharan Africa.
The research shows that climate change is disrupting entire food systems, from the moment crops are grown to when meals are prepared at home. According to the study, “climate-related stressors consistently disrupted food production, storage, distribution, and preparation.”
No stage of the food chain is untouched.
What does this look like in real life? Floods washing contaminants onto crops, heat spoiling stored food faster, and poor infrastructure making safe food handling harder.
Flooding, in particular, is a major problem. When heavy rains overwhelm sanitation systems, dirty water can mix with farmland and markets. The study explains that “floodwaters facilitate faecal–soil–food contact,” which is a technical way of saying that waste and harmful parasites can end up directly on food. Vegetables, grains, and even water used for cooking can carry invisible risks long before they reach the plate.
Heat adds another layer of danger. Warmer temperatures allow parasites and germs to survive longer, especially in places without proper storage facilities. As the researchers note, “elevated ambient temperatures… accelerate parasite survival,” turning everyday foods into potential carriers of infection. In many communities where refrigeration is limited, this creates a constant challenge.
But climate alone is not the full story. The study makes clear that poverty and food insecurity play a huge role in shaping how these risks affect people. When crops fail or food becomes scarce, families often have little choice but to eat what they can find. “Households… often prioritise food access over food safety,” the authors wrote. This highlights a harsh reality: survival sometimes comes before safety. Limited access to clean water also makes it harder to wash food or maintain hygiene during cooking.
These challenges are especially visible in informal food markets, which many people rely on daily. When climate shocks disrupt formal supply chains, these markets expand, often without proper sanitation or oversight. Food can be exposed to contaminated environments, increasing the risk of disease spreading through communities.
At the same time, systems meant to monitor these risks are not keeping pace. The study points out that “food safety… surveillance [is] rarely integrated with” climate data systems, meaning warning signs are often missed.
What makes this issue particularly concerning is how widespread and interconnected it is. The research emphasises that disease risk is not limited to one moment or one place but is “embedded across interconnected food system stages,” from farms to kitchens. This means that even small disruptions caused by climate change can ripple through the entire system, increasing exposure to harmful pathogens.
Photo from Pulitzer Center