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The UN Food Systems Summit brought together a breadth of civil society, scientists, industry and policymakers. Its legacy requires ongoing efforts for innovation, inclusivity and trust, and accountability to ensure high-level commitments are honoured.
The dollarization of food systems’ externalities carries economic and political risks. Local democratic experiments navigate these risks by embracing both the complexity of valuation and the processes necessary for systemic political change.
The current tools and metrics we use limit our understanding of the food systems we need to change. True cost accounting can help address complexity and achieve greater sustainability, says Ruth Richardson.
Current market prices do not fully capture the impacts of food, leading to inefficiencies and propagating unsustainable behaviour. True cost accounting offers an opportunity to change that, but will only deliver on its promise if understood as part of a set of tools.
For fruitful deliberations and concerted action at the science–politics interface, the concepts of food systems and drivers of change need to be clearly understood and employed by all.