Climate change is doing flavour no favours

The taste of our favourite food is something we all cherish. However, as temperatures rise, certain crops will struggle to cope. This means that your favourite fruit or morning coffee could be at risk from a change of flavour or appearance or more.

But how exactly will food change? The flavour of crops like cocoa (from which chocolate is made), nuts, fruits and vegetables are all very susceptible to changes in temperature.

For many crops, increased temperatures mean that they will mature more quickly. This means that they don’t have enough time to develop their full flavour. Unfortunately, the result of this is that the taste of our favourite ice creams, sweets or meals may be different because of the effect of climate change on the ingredients.

Chocolate
60% of the world's cocoa comes from Western Africa. However, by 2050 it is predicted that 90% of the area that is used will not be suitable for cocoa cultivation.

The danger to chocolate is a result of the increase in evapotranspiration (moisture being evaporated and transpired into the atmosphere). As temperature increases, more water will be squeezed out of soil and plants and there won't be enough rainfall to offset the loss of moisture. Cocoa needs a very specific environment to thrive: Humid, warm air, and plenty of rainfall. So the prediction of a 2.1°C (3.8°F) increase is of great concern to the global love of chocolate.

Fruit
Research has shown that climate change has had impacts on the sweetness of strawberries. So more strawberries are ripening before developing their usual sweetness. Grapes and apples are also an upcoming victim of climate change with higher CO₂ levels making grapes taste bitter and apples more watery and less flavoursome. However almost every grown food is predicted to have bitterer tastes, less appealing shapes, or reduced blooming in the future.

Saving the flavour

Since this is very concerning news to all of us foodies, it is important to be aware of our choices and do our best to protect the planet in order to prevent the disastrous effects of climate change - especially those of which could endanger chocolate! Some trees and plants however are more resistant to climate change. So it may be that we must begin to do more research and spread more resistant crops so that they can survive the climate crisis.

Photo: chocolate and cocoa beans.

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