The consequences of a changing climate affect many parts of people's lives, from their jobs, to their homes, to their health. One of the most profound ways in which people will be affected is through what they eat every day. Due to the interconnectivity of the global food system, no geographic area or social class will be spared as extreme weather events disrupt supply chains, food prices rise from local and global pressures, and food quality and safety are compromised from contaminated crops and water. A recent meta-analysis on projections of global food security for the years 2010-2050 found that when taking climate change into consideration, global food demand will change by +30% to +62% and populations at risk for hunger will change from −91% to +30%1. These wide ranges reflect the uncertainty of the response of the global food system and local and international governments. Food security is already high with, “29.3% of the world's population, 2.3 billion people, were moderately or severely food insecure in 2021” and 3.1 billion people were unable to afford a healthy diet.2

Food security is crucial for individuals across all stages of life, serving as a cornerstone of overall health and economic productivity; however, it assumes even greater significance for women during the heightened nutritional needs associated with pregnancy and infants during the perinatal period. For pregnant women, inadequate energy intake and nutritional diversity increases the risk of traditional disorders of vitamin deficiencies and is implicated in the development of obstetric complications including infection, hypertensive disorders, gestational diabetes, preterm delivery, postpartum hemorrhage, and death.3 Severely undernourished women have higher rates of maternal mortality, miscarriage, stillbirths and having newborns who are underweight. Currently it is estimated that worldwide 10% of people of childbearing age are underweight, 30% suffer from anemia and 66% suffer from vitamin deficiencies4.

For the developing newborn, maternal malnutrition has direct and long-lasting impacts on their growth and development. According to UNICEF: “Poor nutrition is passed down through generations (and) about half of children under 2 with stunting become stunted during pregnancy and the first six months of life.”4 There are also long term consequences for infants such as: increased risk of adult chronic diseases,5,6 autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, impaired cognitive development, missed school7 and lower average lifetime earnings7,8 . Animal models have suggested these consequences may be partially explained by epigenetic and metabolic changes to the fetus in utero. Globally, 1 in 3 children is malnourished in its most visible forms: stunting, wasting, and overweight and 1 in 2 children suffer from invisible essential nutrient deficiencies termed “hidden hunger.”8 While food security is closely related to socioeconomic status, food insecure communities exist within all countries.

In the following sections, we will explore how a changing climate impacts food systems and food security, as well as how these impact the unique nutritional needs of pregnant women and of infants in the perinatal period.