Les vagues de chaleur modifient notre nourriture.

Heatwaves are reshaping our food supply chains, with rising temperatures disrupting production, processing, transportation, and storage of goods. Even though today marks the end of July’s heatwave, its effects will likely persist for weeks, altering what we find on supermarket shelves. The consequences of extreme weather are already visible: some products will become more expensive, others less available, while their quality, composition, and taste could change significantly. If current conditions continue, traditional foods might become rare or undergo major transformations, making them unrecognizable in their current form. The impact is evident in the dairy industry, particularly with Parmigiano Reggiano, one of the most iconic cheeses in culinary traditions. This Italian cheese can only be produced in specific regions using local milk and following strict procedures outlined by protected geographical indication rules. However, the heatwave has disrupted this process. In Emilia-Romagna, where the cheese originates, temperatures have exceeded 40 degrees Celsius. Cows, stressed by the heat, eat less and produce less milk, which alters both quantity and composition. The problem extends beyond farms, drought reduces the availability of grass and hay needed for feeding the animals, prompting farmers to install large fans and misting systems to cool livestock. Storage facilities also face challenges. Cheese wheels, which age for years, require controlled environments. During peak heat, energy consumption in aging cellars increases by around 30 percent. As a result, cheese becomes more expensive before even leaving the region, and production increasingly depends on machinery traditionally absent from artisanal settings. A similar situation unfolds with olive oil, where Spain produces nearly half of the world's olives. While olive trees are adapted to hot, dry climates, they have limits. Unusually high temperatures during flowering can cause blossoms to dry or fall off before fruit develops. Producers have warned about this since 2022, when Spanish agricultural industries predicted a sharp drop in production and a 25-percent rise in prices. A year later, The Guardian reported that spring heat threatened flowering once again. What was once considered an exceptional period is now becoming routine. Producers respond with irrigation, but water becomes scarce and costly. When insufficient, they prioritize productive plants, abandon less profitable ones, or seek varieties better suited to extreme conditions. These changes could gradually alter the flavor of the oil. Prices, meanwhile, are expected to keep climbing for at least the fourth consecutive year. France, too, faces severe impacts. An early summer heatwave affected almost all parts of agriculture simultaneously. High temperatures scorched leaves, interrupted pollination of certain crops, and damaged vegetable gardens and orchards. Particularly vulnerable were corn, sunflowers, and soybeans, as extreme heat occurred during sensitive flowering periods. Le Monde reported damage to beans, root vegetables, fruits, and animal feed, with milk production potentially dropping by nearly a third in some areas. Corn, in particular, has triggered a chain reaction throughout the food supply chain. Due to heat and water shortages, some French farmers harvested corn prematurely for animal feed rather than waiting for maturity. Reuters reported in July that France’s corn harvest could be the smallest in approximately 50 years. Fewer corn yields mean fewer raw materials for processed foods, further tightening supply and increasing costs.