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Keywords Antimicrobial resistance · Climate change · Food system · Food safety
· Food security
3.1 Introduction
With the world population expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, the global demand
for food is also expected to increase many folds (Guillou and Matheron 2014). The
biodiversity on this planet has been persistently changing due to anthropogenic
activities, more evident since the industrial revolution. To meet the growing
demands for food, intensive livestock farming has been introduced where antimicrobials are used for three main purposes: therapeutic use to treat, a prophylactic
use to prevent a disease outbreak, and growth promotion use (Van Boeckel et al.
2019). The introduction of antimicrobials into food animal production has contributed to improvement of animal health and productivity and ensured global food
security. However, excessive use of antimicrobials in intensive livestock farming
has resulted in the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (Van Boeckel et al. 2019).
It is imperative to consider the impact of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance on safe
food. Food safety is also linked to the sustainable development goals, in particular
sustainable development goal 2 – Zero Hunger and sustainable development goals
3 – Health and well-being (WHO 2019). Animal based food products including
meat, milk and eggs are often contaminated with bacteria, and thus likely to constitute the main route of transmitting resistant bacteria and resistance genes from food
animals to people. Direct contact with animals or the farm environment could also
involve in the spread of antimicrobial resistance. Fruits and vegetables contaminated by animal waste or contaminated water may also constitute a transmission
route. Thus, antibiotic resistance is a food safety challenge (Founou et al. 2016;
Fanzo et al. 2018).
Climate change, antimicrobial resistance, and global food security have become
the defining issues in present times. These threats call for urgent actions to avert
public health crisis. Climate change can drift several vector borne, water, and food
borne illnesses, e.g., cholera and Zika virus outbreaks. In addition to these, Nipah
and Hantavirus emergence has been closely related to extreme weather conditions.
By the year 2030, the diseases due to climate change will result in over 250,000
deaths (Chan 2017). Antimicrobial resistance and climate change associated infectious diseases can lead to a global financial crisis (World Bank Group 2017). On the
other hand, the threat to global food security worsens under the growing challenges
of antimicrobial resistance and climate change (Fig. 3.1). The global demand of
food has increased (FAO 2009a) over the time and due to population increase, especially in the low and middle income countries where the supply of basic food
is often compromised (Popkin 2014). There is a need for coherence among
M. Mohsin et al.
Keywords Antimicrobial resistance · Climate change · Food system · Food safety
· Food security
3.1 Introduction
With the world population expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, the global demand
for food is also expected to increase many folds (Guillou and Matheron 2014). The
biodiversity on this planet has been persistently changing due to anthropogenic
activities, more evident since the industrial revolution. To meet the growing
demands for food, intensive livestock farming has been introduced where antimicrobials are used for three main purposes: therapeutic use to treat, a prophylactic
use to prevent a disease outbreak, and growth promotion use (Van Boeckel et al.
2019). The introduction of antimicrobials into food animal production has contributed to improvement of animal health and productivity and ensured global food
security. However, excessive use of antimicrobials in intensive livestock farming
has resulted in the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (Van Boeckel et al. 2019).
It is imperative to consider the impact of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance on safe
food. Food safety is also linked to the sustainable development goals, in particular
sustainable development goal 2 – Zero Hunger and sustainable development goals
3 – Health and well-being (WHO 2019). Animal based food products including
meat, milk and eggs are often contaminated with bacteria, and thus likely to constitute the main route of transmitting resistant bacteria and resistance genes from food
animals to people. Direct contact with animals or the farm environment could also
involve in the spread of antimicrobial resistance. Fruits and vegetables contaminated by animal waste or contaminated water may also constitute a transmission
route. Thus, antibiotic resistance is a food safety challenge (Founou et al. 2016;
Fanzo et al. 2018).
Climate change, antimicrobial resistance, and global food security have become
the defining issues in present times. These threats call for urgent actions to avert
public health crisis. Climate change can drift several vector borne, water, and food
borne illnesses, e.g., cholera and Zika virus outbreaks. In addition to these, Nipah
and Hantavirus emergence has been closely related to extreme weather conditions.
By the year 2030, the diseases due to climate change will result in over 250,000
deaths (Chan 2017). Antimicrobial resistance and climate change associated infectious diseases can lead to a global financial crisis (World Bank Group 2017). On the
other hand, the threat to global food security worsens under the growing challenges
of antimicrobial resistance and climate change (Fig. 3.1). The global demand of
food has increased (FAO 2009a) over the time and due to population increase, especially in the low and middle income countries where the supply of basic food
is often compromised (Popkin 2014). There is a need for coherence among
M. Mohsin et al.