How climate change may affect food safety: HOLiFOOD works with six European influencers to explain emerging risks

Brussels, 4 June 2026 — Warmer temperatures, changing rainfall patterns and extreme weather have implications beyond the environment. They also influence food safety risks across the food chain in the EU - from conditions that now favour various foodborne bacteria to the emergence of certain toxins in crops.

To mark World Food Safety Day on 7 June, the EU-funded HOLiFOOD project is launching a digital campaign with six European influencers to help consumers better understand how climate change may affect food safety, and how science can support earlier detection and prevention of emerging risks.

Launching in mid-June 2026 on Instagram and YouTube, the campaign will bring together scientists, food safety experts and digital creators from France, Germany, Hungary, Italy and the UK, with a combined audience of more than 600,000 followers across Europe.
Through short videos, explainers, myth-busting posts and lifestyle-oriented content, the creators will translate complex food safety science into accessible messages for audiences who may not usually engage with institutional or scientific channels. The campaign will explore questions such as:

• how climate change can influence food safety risks across the food chain;
• why warmer temperatures can favour hazards such as Salmonella and Campylobacter;
• how extreme weather conditions can increase toxins in crops;
• and how researchers are developing new tools to better detect and anticipate emerging risks.

The selected countries and languages also reflect the project's ambition to reach audiences across different European food cultures and digital ecosystems, where concerns, habits and conversations around food safety can vary significantly. The six featured creators are French science communicator The French Virologist, Hungarian nutritionist diet_etikus, UK food safety educator Food Safety Mum, German nutritionist foodbert.de, Scottish/Indian food influencer Hey_renu, and Italian sustainability creator Daria al Naturale.

The initiative also responds to growing concerns about misinformation around food, health, and climate circulating online, particularly on platforms where younger audiences increasingly get science-related information.

"As a scientist trained in food safety, I find it particularly reassuring that top researchers across Europe are joining forces through EU-funded initiatives. Public money is being wisely invested to better anticipate, detect, and mitigate emerging food risks that affect every household," said Frèdèric Bayer, Content Manager at EUFIC. "At the same time, it is essential to help people understand how climate change is influencing food safety, from the emergence of new hazards to shifts in contamination patterns. This is why we decided to collaborate with influencers: to translate complex scientific evidence into engaging, accessible content and reach audiences that may not typically engage with food safety research."

The campaign is coordinated by the European Food Information Council (EUFIC) as part of the HOLiFOOD project, an EU-funded research initiative developing new approaches to detect, monitor and anticipate emerging food safety risks, including AI-supported data analysis, metagenomics and portable detection tools.

ENDS

About HOLiFOOD

HOLiFOOD is an EU-funded research project working to improve the detection, prevention and management of emerging food safety risks through advanced technologies including AI- supported analytics, metagenomics and rapid portable detection systems.

About EUFIC

The European Food Information Council is a consumer-oriented non-profit organisation that makes science on food and health more accessible and easier to understand. EUFIC provides evidence-based information to support informed decision-making on food, nutrition, health, and sustainability.