More frequent extreme events will shock global food systems, creating 'food shocks' with the potential to wreak havoc on food markets, commodity exports, and families around the world, according to the Met Office.

The Met Office has joined a panel of British and American researchers at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Washington DC to present updated research revealing how extreme events, which affect the food system, are increasingly likely to occur and result in 'food shocks'.

Food shocks have the potential to impact food markets, commodity exports, and families around the world.  An independent expert taskforce from the UK and USA outlined key recommendations to safeguard against threats to food supplies in a report last year.

At the AAAS, researchers have been discussing the impact of new research and outlining the prognosis for 2016.

Met Office Applied Climate Science Team Leader, Kirsty Lewis, has been looking at seasonal forecasts and the potential for weather driven food shocks in 2016.

Professor Tim Benton, Champion of the UK's Global Food Security Programme - which coordinated the task force's report is discussing the recommendations and the ways in which resilience can be developed against the increasing likelihood of food shocks. Professor Benton commented:

"The global interconnectedness that makes countries more resilient to local production shocks makes them more vulnerable to shocks in distant 'breadbasket' regions. Crop yields and climate data show us that the global food system is at increased risk as extreme weather events are as much as three times more likely to happen as a result of climate change by mid-century".