Susan Gonya is a registered dietitian, critical care registered nurse, and founder of the Clean Food Solutions Research Institute. She holds master’s degrees in nutrition and evidence-based nursing practice, undergraduate degrees in Early Childhood Development, Nutrition, and Nursing, and a Critical Care Nursing certification. She has worked in clinical nutrition, critical care, and research at major academic medical centers and has also worked clinically in rural New Hampshire. Her recent research focuses on pediatric nutrition, food safety, mycotoxin exposure, and environmental factors affecting child health. She has published and presented nationally on these topics, authored a book on reducing dietary mycotoxin exposure, and serves as Co-Chair of the New Hampshire Nurses Association Commission on Planetary Health. She is also an active member of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of NH (NOFA-NH).

This presentation, Climate Change & Food Safety: The Rising Risk of Mold Pathogens in Processed Food, examines the intersection of climate change, agricultural practices, food processing, and food safety, with a focus on foodborne mycotoxins and their potential health implications for infants and children. Participants will explore how changing environmental conditions, agricultural intensification, agrochemical use, and food storage and transportation practices may influence fungal growth and mycotoxin contamination throughout the food supply. The presentation reviews major mycotoxin-producing fungi, emerging research on fungal dysbiosis and gastrointestinal health, and the potential consequences of chronic dietary exposure. It also discusses sustainable and organic agricultural practices as potential strategies to support ecosystem health and food safety, emphasizing the need for further research, improved surveillance, and greater awareness of dietary mycotoxin exposure.

Program Objectives:

1.      Understand how industrial farming practices and agrochemical use contribute to climate change, and how ecosystem shifts may promote the growth of mold pathogens and increase contamination risks in food systems.

2.      Recognize the risks associated with foodborne mycotoxin exposure and explain the potential health impacts on infants and children. 

3.      Understand the significance of sustainably and organically produced foods for environmental and food safety.

Attendees of this presentation can qualify for !1Continuing Education credits through SNHAHEC. More information to follow.

Host: Joan Widmer, RN, MBA

Executive Director and Board Treasurer of NH Healthy Climate