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Using a physical trade flow approach and structural decomposition analysis, this study estimates consumption-based greenhouse gas emissions throughout food supply chains over 2000–2019, revealing overall trends and five underlying drivers.
The indirect effects of adopting the EAT–Lancet diet in the wider economy—and what this means for key social and environmental indicators—require further exploration. Using a general equilibrium model and tracing physical biomass, this study reveals spillover effects of a dietary shift on food prices, wages, trade, land use, biomass production and greenhouse gas emissions.
The exact location and extent of cocoa plantations in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, the world’s largest producers, remain unknown in spite of their social, economic and environmental relevance. New satellite-based high-resolution maps generated through a deep learning framework link cocoa cultivation with deforestation in protected areas and show that official reports underestimate the total planted area.
Standard tests to determine food spoilage are costly and time consuming. A poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride)-based sensor offers a low-cost alternative that can be linked to mobile phones for real-time spoilage analysis. The device was tested on chicken and beef samples under various storage conditions.
The hidden costs of current diets, or the cost saving associated with the adoption of low-carbon diets, remain unknown. This study combines life cycle assessment and monetarization factors to quantify the indirect costs of nine global dietary change strategies which progressively reduce animal-sourced foods, including consumption-linked health burden from changes in diet-related disease risk.
Genome assemblies, genetic variations, and metabolome and metal ion profiles were generated for diverse pigmented Asian rice varieties. An early maturing, shorter-stature black rice variety was created using CRISPR–Cas9-mediated genome editing, providing insights for improving Asian pigmented rice.
Individuals’ food choices are typically based on recipes, not specific ingredients. This study compares almost 600 dinner recipes from the UK, the USA and Norway in terms of healthiness and environmental impact—including adherence to dietary guidelines and aggregate health indicators, as well as greenhouse gas emissions and land use.
Using data from long-term nationwide observations and multi-level rainfall manipulative experiments, this study reveals that rice yield reductions due to extreme rainfall in China were comparable to those induced by extreme heat over the past two decades. Further projections highlight the increasing risk of rice yield reductions induced by extreme rainfall by the end of this century.
An analysis based on data from the Global Dietary Database shows mean animal-sourced food intakes among children and adolescents increased modestly from 1990 to two portions per day in 2018, but remain low in sub-Saharan Africa, India and Bangladesh.
Ensuring that waste or by-products from one process form the input of another is key for food systems sustainability. This study assesses the biophysical potential of redesigning the European (EU27 + UK) food system on the basis of circularity principles. Changes in food consumption, crop production, animal production and fertilizer patterns are considered through scenario analysis.
Quantification of the impact of climate change on crop yield and nitrogen use efficiency reflects global inequalities in agricultural N use and losses. Using long-term historical data from over 150 countries, this study reveals the importance of farm size to regulate N use for climate adaptation.
Volatile food prices induce risk and uncertainty, challenging consumers and producers alike. This study uses historical trade policy and price datasets encompassing two recent food crises to investigate the impact that trade policies announced by specific countries may have on global agricultural markets.
Nitrogen limitation is a key determinant of agriculture’s feeding capacity. Modelling simulations of feed–food competition, grassland-to-cropland allocation and nitrogen management strategies reveal how many people could be fed under organic versus industrial fertilization and other farming practices.
Consumption patterns indicate that millets, rice, cassava and tubers are more important than imported wheat for the poorest Nigerians. Policy must reflect this by supporting coarse grain and rice production rather than any trade policy path for dislodging wheat imports.
Greenhouse gas emissions due to food loss and waste in supply chain and waste management systems accounted for about half of the global annual greenhouse gas emissions from food systems in 2017. The outcomes of emission intervention strategies depend on temporal, regional and socio-economic conditions.
Self-reported data can introduce recall bias into population-level nutritional assessments. Wastewater analyses combining metabolomic and genomic techniques can inform nutritional assessments at the population scale and support public health nutrition.
The impact of different strategies aimed at reducing meat consumption is context dependent. A randomized control trial using data from 100,000 meals reveals the cost effectiveness of exposing students to a 50 min talk on the consequences of meat consumption for health and climate.
Urban development in China has led to cropland loss and displacement over the past decades. This study uses a model-based approach to estimate spatial flows of grain, disaggregated by transport modal choices and routes, to explore the increase in carbon emission associated with the transport of cereals, tubers and soybean in China over 1990–2015.
Meat taxes could help to induce dietary changes beneficial for the environment, animal welfare and public health. Through a referendum choice experiment, this study examines how level and differentiation of the tax, its justification and behavioural salience impact support for meat taxation in Germany.
Nematode infections of cash crops impact economic well-being and food security in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. This study reports a nature-based technology developed to protect yam seeds from soil-borne pathogens, increase yield and decrease post-harvest losses among smallholder farmers in Benin.