Final answer:
Food can become unsafe if openings in external walls during remodeling allow pests to enter, as pests can contaminate food and preparation areas, posing significant health risks.
Step-by-step explanation:
If openings remain in external walls during remodeling, food is most likely to become unsafe by allowing pests to enter. When there are openings in the walls, they can serve as entry points not just for fresh air but also for pests such as insects and rodents, which are known to carry diseases and contaminate food. Once inside, pests can easily access stored food and preparation areas, thereby posing a significant risk to food safety.
While temperature fluctuations could potentially affect food safety by causing spoilage, and odors can escape, which is less ideal but not directly related to food safety, it is the entry of pests that directly threatens the hygiene and safety of food during the remodeling process.
A total of 33 invasive pests including insect and noninsect pests have been reported to enter and establish in various crop habitats in India during pre- and post-independence era and Green and Post-Green Revolution era. It continued till date with the second decade of the twenty-first century and has caused heavy yield losses, leading to a threat for food security. Out of the invasive pests encountered so far, 18 insect species belong to Hemiptera (six whiteflies, five mealybugs, three aphids, three scale insects, one psyllid), six Lepidoptera, three Coleoptera, two Hymenoptera, one Diptera, and three noninsect pests (one Acarina, one Mollusca, one root-knot nematode). Trade policies, free trade, and globalization invited maximum number of invasive pests into India during the Post-Green Revolution era and the second decade of the twenty-first century. The Covid-19-induced lockdown is responsible for few insects to attain dreadful status in causing significant damage and yield losses in crops. Two insects, namely desert locust and carambola fruit fly, are considered as transboundary pests in India. The ICAR institutes/SAUs have developed efficient Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for almost all invasive pests of India, which are available for practice in many public domains. The Plant Quarantine Organization is the apex body in India to monitor the spread, distribution, and outbreak of invasive and transboundary pests, besides providing plant protection advisories through obtaining information from early warning systems (EWSs) on subscription/request.