 Throughout history, insects have posed challenges by spreading diseases, by damaging crops and by affecting environments, causing damage that amounts to more than $70 billion a year. With climate change, insects are now moving into areas where previously they could not survive. This means authorities must implement strict quarantine measures across international boundaries and within countries. Thanks to a treatment that has been used safely for more than 50 years, countries are already in a position to deal with this threat. The treatment is food irradiation. Initially used to ensure safety of high value spices, fish and meat, food irradiation treatments are increasingly being used on fresh fruits and vegetables to prevent the spread of invasive insects. Higher temperatures and humidity of climate change also aid the growth of organisms such as bacteria or moulds that can cause food spoilage or food-based illnesses, putting pressure on food supply chains and impacting food safety. This makes the protective potential of food irradiation even more critical. Already, several countries provide irradiated food rations during natural disasters when hygiene and cold storage are disrupted. With the intergovernmental panel on climate change expecting crop yields to become more variable due to climate change, some countries are considering using food irradiation to improve conservation of staple supplies such as wheat, rice and maize. Food irradiation calls for shining beams of energy such as x-rays, gamma rays or electron beams onto food because it destroys bacteria that can cause food poisoning, it neutralizes insect pests in food consignments and prevents them from hitchhiking across boundaries. It maintains food quality by destroying spoilage organisms or suppressing sprouting. It protects packaged food from microbial and insect contamination. Food irradiation is not a panacea. It will not resolve all climate-related challenges to food security, but it is playing an increasingly important role, helping to ensure that all people have access to sufficient, high-quality food to lead active and healthy lives.