Assessing microbiological risks resulting from new consumption practices induced by climate change – SafeFood4ClimDiet

Climate change tends to worsen food safety and increase foodborne illness due to new factors along the supply chain and changes in behaviour. Some studies explore this "farm to fork" perspective, but often neglect the role of the consumer. However, the general public is increasingly concerned about and affected by climate change, leading to voluntary or imposed changes in dietary habits.

Difficulties in the identification of consumer practices have been a barrier to risk assessment. This project aims to assess how changes in food consumption due to climate change affect microbiological risks. This requires a multidisciplinary approach combining food microbiological risk assessment with artificial intelligence (text mining) and sociology.

The objectives are to identify emerging trends, characterise, classify and communicate the microbiological risks associated with new eating habits. The project also aims to inform consumers about these new practices, particularly with regard to possible health risks.