Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

A future workforce of food-system analysts

Nature Food volume 1, pages 9–10 (2020)Cite this article

Subjects

A programme developed across five UK universities aims to equip graduate professionals with the skills, tools and capabilities to better understand and manage food-system complexity for food security, for the environment and for enterprise.

Food systems have evolved dramatically over recent decades to feed billions of people. However, the ‘triple burden’ of malnutrition (hunger, insufficient nutrients, and overweight and obesity) is increasingly recognised, in parts of the world, as the ‘new normal’1,2,3. The food sector is responsible for about 30% of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions4, and contributes to decreased biodiversity5, water pollution and soil degradation6. Current technologies are degrading the natural resource base that underpins our food security at an alarming rate7, and environmental change will hit the most marginalised in society soonest — and hardest. At the same time, we are wasting about a third of all food produced8. Food systems are, however, a major source of livelihoods and a driver for innumerable businesses and enterprises9. In the United Kingdom, for instance, food is the biggest manufacturing sector, contributing £28.2 billion to the economy annually and employing 400,000 people10. Worldwide, however, employment in food production, manufacturing and service is some of the lowest paid work. Inequality underpins many aspects of the food system, and is often an outcome driven by the system itself11.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy article

Get time limited or full article access on ReadCube.

$32.00

Buy

All prices are NET prices.

Fig. 1: Learning objectives.

References

  1. FAO, IFAD, UNICEF & WFP. The state of food security and nutrition in the world 2017 (FAO, 2018).

  2. Haddad, L. et al. J. Nutrit. 145, 663–671 (2015).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Fanzo, J. et al. 2018 Global Nutrition Report: Shining a light to spur action on nutrition (FAO, 2018).

  4. Garnett, T. Food Policy 36, 23–32 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Bélanger, J. & Pilling, D. (eds) The State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture (FAO, 2019).

  6. Willett, W. et al. The Lancet 393, 447–492 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Westhoek, H., Ingram, J., van Berkum, S. & Hajer, M. Food systems and natural resources. (UN Environment Programme, 2016).

  8. Food Loss and Food Waste (FAO, 2019).

  9. Kneafsey, M. et al. Short food supply chains and local food systems in the EU: a state of play of their socio-economic characteristics (eds Santini, F. et al.) JRC Scientific and Policy Reports (European Commission, 2013).

  10. The Food and Drink Industry: economic contribution and growth opportunities (FDF, 2018).

  11. Holt-Giménez, E. Inst. Food Dev. Pol. 24, 1–4 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Tu, C., Suweis, S. & D’Odorico, P. Nat. Sust. 2, 283–289 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Preiser, R., Biggs, R., De Vos, A. & Folke, C. Ecology and Society 23, 4 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Reed, K. et al. Exch. Int. Res. J. 4, 201–218 (2017).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. Ingram, J. Food Security 3, 417–431 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. O’Flaherty, J. & Phillips, C. Internet High. Edu. 25, 85–95 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Spelt, E. J. H., Biemans, H. J. A., Tobi, H., Luning, P. A. & Mulder, M. Edu. Psychol. Rev. 21, 365 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Stentoft, D. Act. Learn. High. Edu. 18, 51–61 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Wakeham, W. Wakeham review of STEM degree provision and graduate employability (UK Government, 2016).

  20. Researcher Development Framework (Vitae, 2019).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    John Ingram, Rosina Borrelli, Roger Sykes & Rebecca White

  2. City, University of London, London, UK

    Raquel Ajates, Annabel de Frece, Tim Lang & Rebecca Wells

  3. University of Reading, Reading, UK

    Alex Arnall & Harley Pope

  4. Royal Veterinary College, London Centre for Integrative Research for Agriculture and Health, University of London, London, UK

    Lauren Blake & Barbara Häsler

  5. University of Warwick, Warwick, UK

    Rosemary Collier & Kelly Reed

Authors
  1. John Ingram
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Raquel Ajates
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Alex Arnall
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Lauren Blake
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Rosina Borrelli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Rosemary Collier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Annabel de Frece
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Barbara Häsler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Tim Lang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Harley Pope
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Kelly Reed
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  12. Roger Sykes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  13. Rebecca Wells
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  14. Rebecca White
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to John Ingram.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ingram, J., Ajates, R., Arnall, A. et al. A future workforce of food-system analysts. Nat Food 1, 9–10 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-019-0003-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-019-0003-3

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing