Climate change is intensifying health and safety risks for the millions of people who grow, process, transport, sell and serve the world’s food. A global report by the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems has found that extreme heat, toxic wildfire smoke and hazardous pesticide exposure are combining with low wages and weak labour protections to leave food workers increasingly vulnerable. The findings highlight how those who feed the planet often face some of the most dangerous and least protected working conditions on Earth.
Scale of the Global Food Workforce
Nearly 1.4 billion people work across the global food system, making it the largest employer worldwide and accounting for roughly two out of every five workers. Yet the report estimates that about 30 percent of these workers, or around 416 million people, earn below a living wage. Widespread informal employment, discrimination and limited access to basic protections deepen the challenges they face.
Agriculture remains one of the most dangerous sectors globally. It accounts for one-third of all occupational deaths, driven by exposure to extreme weather, long shifts without adequate breaks, and contact with harmful pesticides and chemicals. International labour standards that could reduce these risks are frequently ignored, while weak enforcement leaves many workers without meaningful safeguards.
Extreme Heat as the Leading Threat
Heat stress has become the most common occupational health threat in agriculture. Climate change is pushing these risks into potentially life-threatening territory. Many farmworkers lack access to basic protections such as shade, rest breaks and drinking water during extreme weather events. Without these measures, prolonged exposure can lead to heat-related illness, reduced productivity and, in severe cases, death.
The report notes that rising temperatures and more frequent extreme weather events are compounding existing hardships. Farmworkers already dealing with poverty wages and gruelling conditions now confront an additional layer of danger as heatwaves become more intense and prolonged. Experts involved in the report have described climate change as turning into a workers’ rights crisis, with governments still failing to guarantee even the most basic life-saving protections.
Pesticide Exposure and Chemical Risks
Alongside extreme weather, hazardous pesticide exposure continues to pose serious health threats. Climate-driven changes in growing seasons and weather patterns can increase the need for chemical applications, raising workers’ contact with toxic substances. Chronic exposure has been linked to a range of health problems, while acute incidents remain a constant risk in many production systems.
The combination of heat and chemical exposure creates particularly dangerous conditions. Workers operating in high temperatures may face greater absorption of pesticides through the skin or reduced ability to wear protective equipment comfortably. In regions with limited regulatory oversight, these overlapping hazards are especially acute.
Beyond the Fields: Risks Across the Food Chain
The report’s concerns extend well beyond agricultural workers. People employed in food processing, hospitality and delivery also face occupational hazards alongside insecure employment and limited access to basic protections. Informal work arrangements further compound these vulnerabilities, leaving many without recourse when conditions become unsafe.
Migrant workers face some of the highest rates of abuse, wage theft, forced labour, injury and death. Restrictive visa systems and employer-controlled recruitment can trap individuals in exploitative situations, reducing their ability to speak out or leave unsafe workplaces. Marginalised groups, including women and certain racial or ethnic communities, experience heightened risks due to intersecting forms of discrimination.
Structural Forces Driving Exploitation
Several overlapping forces are intensifying the pressures on food workers. Corporate concentration across supply chains can suppress wages, undermine collective bargaining and shift risks onto workers in pursuit of higher returns. Digital technologies, including algorithmic management and workplace surveillance, are creating new forms of control that intensify productivity demands while eroding worker autonomy.
Climate change interacts with these structural issues. Extreme heat, wildfires, floods and other climate impacts threaten workers’ health and lives while also disrupting working hours and income. Policymakers in many places have resisted stronger regulations that would protect workers from intensifying climate conditions, leaving gaps in coverage even where international standards exist.
The Human Cost of Inaction
The consequences of these combined risks are measurable. Agricultural workers are projected to account for a large share of work hours lost to heat stress in the coming years. Chronic heat exposure has been associated with serious health conditions, including kidney disease in some regions. At the same time, the fear of losing income or employment often forces workers to continue labouring under dangerous conditions rather than seeking rest or medical attention.
Experts associated with the report have stressed that the people producing food should not have to risk their health or their lives simply to earn a living. The absence of guaranteed access to shade, rest and drinking water during extreme heat is presented as a basic failure of protection that remains widespread.
Pathways Toward Safer Conditions
Addressing these challenges requires action that goes beyond voluntary initiatives. Stronger enforcement of existing labour standards, expanded access to basic protections, and policies that recognise climate risks as occupational hazards are among the measures highlighted. Ensuring living wages, formalising informal work where possible, and strengthening the rights of migrant and marginalised workers would also reduce vulnerability.
The report underscores that exploitation in the food system is not inevitable. With coordinated efforts by governments, stronger regulation of corporate practices, and recognition of climate change as a workers’ rights issue, conditions can improve. Until then, the men and women who sustain global food supplies will continue to bear disproportionate health and safety risks in an increasingly unstable climate.
The findings serve as a reminder that the sustainability of food systems cannot be separated from the wellbeing of the people who make them function. Protecting food workers from extreme weather and harmful chemicals is both a matter of justice and a practical necessity for a resilient global food supply.
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