Climate change reshaping European food and drink: overview
- Heatwaves are reducing milk yields and affecting dairy quality
- Traditional wine regions face decline while northern areas expand
- Crop-growing zones are shifting north as temperatures continue rising
- Hotter weather increases cold-chain costs through higher energy demand
- Extreme heat damages crops and cuts European agricultural output
The recent heatwave in Europe saw unprecedented heat, breaking a series of temperature records.
The past June was the hottest ever recorded in western Europe, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
Meanwhile, a number of individual temperature records were broken. Germany recorded its highest June temperature with 41.7°C, as did Hungary with 40.7°C, Austria with 40 °C and the UK with 37.3 °C.
As Europe gets hotter, many aspects of food and beverage will change. It is no longer the same continent it once was.
1. Dairy yields are under pressure
High temperatures not only impact crop yields, but can affect dairy as well.
“Heat waves have an impact on dairy wherever and whenever they occur,” says Alexander Anton, secretary general of the European Whey Processors Association and European Dairy Association.
It is normal for milk yields to decline in an acute heat wave – in fact, they can go down by up to 10%.
This year, significant yield depletion was seen – during the heatwave from 22 to 28 June, milk collection fell by 7% compared with the same period the previous year, according to a survey by FranceAgriMer, a government organisation.
As well as amount, the quality of milk can be affected by heat stress.
2. Wine regions will change
As temperatures change, so will the regions in which wine can be grown.
Wine production in Europe is currently focused in regions such as southern France and northern Spain and Italy; places where it is warm enough to allow grape ripening, relatively dry (which minimises disease risk) and heat is not excessive.
Yet according to a study by several French scientific bodies, coastal and lowland wine regions in Spain, Italy and Greece could disappear by the end of the century due to drought and frequent heatwaves.
Other regions are, however, getting more suitable for wine production. Vineyard area in Britain, for example, increased by 74% between 2018 and 2023.
3. Growing regions will change
As with wine, the growing regions for many crops are shifting substantially, in Europe as elsewhere.
For example, the areas where soy can be grown are changing. Serbia is partly becoming too dry for soy cultivation, whereas Poland is seen as having more potential as a growing region, explains Susanne Fromwald, director of strategic partnerships for soy organisation Donau Soja.
Cultivation of soy in Europe is flourishing. “Today, some of the top soy yields globally are in Europe, and soy has still big potential, just growing areas are moving a bit North,” she says.
Agro-climate zones, climatic zones where particular crops can be grown, are migrating north in Europe, according to one study.
4. Keeping food cool will be more expensive
Cold chain systems are being increasingly put under strain by high temperatures.
During a heatwave, the difference between the temperature inside and the temperature outside of a cold store is greater, meaning that systems must work harder to keep temperatures cool, explains Richard Russell, managing director of the UK branch of logistics company New Cold.
This can often mean that more energy is used during heatwaves. When more energy is used, it also becomes more expensive to store food.
As the heat in Europe increases, mitigation techniques commonly used in Australia, the Middle East and Southern Europe are becoming increasingly relevant for Northern Europe. For example, reflective roofing systems, air curtains and rapidly closing doors can be used to keep out heat.
5. What people eat and drink will shift
In hot temperatures, some food categories flourish while others struggle.
For example, ice cream demand is high during heatwaves, with prolonged periods of hot weather extending the period where it thrives, explains Shivya Puri, senior research analyst at consumer analytics company Mordor Intelligence. The popularity of hydration drinks is also driven by high temperatures, enhancing the health and functionality trend through weather.
However, not all products flourish in heatwaves. Chocolate, for example, can struggle due to melting – cocoa butter melts at 34°C – and is therefore difficult to store and transport.
Finally, hot food and baked goods often struggle in hot weather. People favour fresh fruit and salads during heatwaves, and heavier foods like bakery suffer. This was seen in 2025 when, after a particularly hot UK June, bakery chain Greggs issued a profit warning.
6. Many crops may die
The impact of heatwaves can be cataclysmic, killing crops and pushing down yields.
Just one example was the most recent June heatwave in Europe, where the impact has been profound. According to Coceral, a European trade association, the heatwave reduced the UK and EU grain forecast by nine million tonnes in just four weeks.
Coceral attributes these losses directly to the heat: crops such as maize and wheat were hit by heat and lack of water during key cultivation times.
The heatwave has led to approximately €1.8bn worth of damage in terms of crops lost or yields diminished, according to think tank Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit.
Crops are being affected by heat stress all over the world. But with temperatures rising across the continent, this is now becoming a European problem.
