CHICAGO (CBS) — Warmer temperatures are impacting the food supply and its safety, experts warned amid an outbreak of E. coli that has struck McDonald’s Quarter Pounders.

Experts said pathogens—the bacteria that can make us sick—are changing with the weather.

“It’s an adjustment due to climate change,” said Pratik Banerjee, who teaches food safety at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, “and some of these adjustments are not good.”

Banerjee is currently studying the impact of climate on the food supply.

“There is not a magic wand that can be there and the food would be absolutely safe, right?” he said. “So the goal is to reduce the risk.”

Similar research is happening at the Institute for Food Safety at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

“This is disrupting a lot of the larger ecosystem in terms of how microorganisms behave,” said Dr. Alvin Lee, who leads IFSH

Slivered onions placed on Quarter Pounders are the likely source of the E. coli contamination leading to the McDonald’s outbreak, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. According to those with whom CBS News Chicago connected for this story, the McDonald’s outbreak is a reminder that climate change is real.

“People who don’t believe in global warming are going to believe in global warming eventually,” said attorney Bill Marler of Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, “because there’s a lot of studies that are coming out now that are showing that certain pathogens like E. coli, salmonella, campylobacter are adapting better to a heated environment than we are.”

Marler has represented victims of outbreaks across the country for decades as a foodborne illness lawyer. He said some pathogens that contaminate food are even showing up in the U.S. for the first time thanks to climate change.

“There are bugs in the United States we never saw before. We used to never see Cyclospora as a bacterial or viral problem. Now, we are seeing it all the time in the United States, and that’s because temperatures are warming,” he said. “It used to be a South American problem. Now, it’s a U.S. problem.”

Marler said with changing temperatures impacting pathogens in the food supply, the industry needs to make changes to keep up.

“We’ve got to adapt and right now,” he said. “The FDA and the industry is being caught flat footed.”

But Banerjee said while scientists don’t have all the answers yet, the work happening right now at UIUC should be making a difference soon.

“The focus of my own research is to understand how the pathogens adapt to these situations, and what is the outcome of that adaptation,” he said.

Among Banerjee’s studies is one in which E. coli bacterial cells were exposed to lettuce leaf cells in refrigerated conditions—then observed to find out what the refrigeration meant for infecting mammalian cells.

Tara Molina

Tara Molina is a general assignment reporter for CBS2 Chicago.

This development comes as growing global food trade and foreign travel are changing consumption patterns and increasing the risk of food-borne illnesses spreading across borders.

The effort to ensure that Indian food products meet the highest hygiene standards, both domestically and internationally, arises against the backdrop of increasing cases of Indian food consignments being rejected.

“The BIS has updated the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) framework to carefully monitor critical points along the supply chain, such as raw material sourcing, processing, packaging and distribution, where contamination or safety risks may occur,” said the first person.

The updated HACCP framework identifies, evaluates and controls potential hazards at specific points in the food production process.

A case in point is meat processing, where HACCP ensures safe cooking temperatures to eliminate E-coli, a type of bacteria commonly found in the intestines of humans and animals.

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Similarly, in dairy, it controls pasteurization to kill listeria and salmonella, and in canned goods, HACCP prevents botulism through sterilization.

The export of meat, dairy and poultry products was worth $4.53 billion in FY24, marking a 12.4% increase from $4.03 billion in FY23. The rise in meat, dairy and poultry exports can be attributed to increasing global demand, improved processing standards, expanded market access and government incentives supporting agricultural exports.

In seafood, the framework eliminates parasites via proper freezing. India’s seafood exports recorded a growth of 2.67% in volume terms but a decline of about 8.8% in value during the last financial year, according to data from the commerce ministry.

Export volumes increased to 1,781,602 tonnes, worth $7.36 billion, in 2023-24, compared to 1,735,286 tonnes worth $8.07 billion in 2022-23, the data showed.

Meanwhile, the demand for Indian processed food is rising worldwide, and over the past few years, Indian ready-to-eat (RTE) food items have experienced remarkable growth in exports, especially to developed economies such as the US, the UK, Australia and Canada.

RTE food exports include breakfast cereals, sweets and snacks, biscuits and confectionery, cane jaggery and wafers. India’s exports of RTE foods have more than doubled, from $739.64 million in FY19 to $1.52 billion in FY24, according to data from the commerce ministry.

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In India, the market in RTE meals is expected to grow by 45% from 2021 to 2026, reaching $64 billion, as per SATS, a leading in-flight catering service provider that publishes research papers on the RTE food segment.

“By aligning with global norms, the BIS seeks to create a more robust framework for food safety, benefiting both consumers and the broader food industry,” said the second person.

According to an Invest India report, India’s food processing sector is one of the largest in the world, and its output is expected to reach $535 billion by 2025-26.

Additionally, the World Travel and Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Economic Impact 2023 report states that international tourist arrivals are expected to reach 30.5 billion by 2028. This increase will significantly boost food demand and stimulate growth for local producers and suppliers.

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The introduction of new food standards will enhance the quality and safety of food products, improving consumer confidence. Furthermore, these standards will help businesses cater to diverse culinary preferences, ultimately benefiting the food sector as a whole.

Queries sent to the consumer affairs ministry and BIS remained unanswered until press time.

“The BIS revamping its food hygiene code of practice is a significant step toward enhancing the global competitiveness of Indian food exports. By aligning with the updated HACCP system, this initiative will not only boost consumer confidence in Indian products but also ensure higher health standards, benefiting both domestic and international markets. Arising needs to implement clean field/farm practices those are detrimental to health and food hygiene,” said Ravin Saluja, director, Sterling Agro Industries Ltd (Nova Dairy).