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A ‘net zero’ equivalent target is needed to transform food systems

Nature Food volume 2, pages 905–906 (2021)Cite this article

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To the Editor — The UN Food Systems Summit in September generated broad acceptance of the urgency for food systems transformation to better nourish people in ways that do not undermine the environment1. Yet, the international community of nations is failing to position food systems transformation at the heart of policy priorities, and COP26 provides the most recent evidence for this.

There seems to be a blind spot at the government level when it comes to the interaction between supply and demand within the food system and the deepening challenges of climate change that threaten the world’s food security. Three billion people across the globe cannot afford a healthy diet2, largely because we produce more grains than needed globally to meet calorie requirements, making calories cheap, but insufficient nutrient-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables, making nutrient-rich foods expensive3. Poor diets translate into significant drains on human health, productivity and nutrition. Furthermore, our food systems contribute around 35% of all greenhouse gases4, which drive climate change, and these emissions are growing5.

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References

  1. UN Secretary-General Secretary-General’s Chair Summary, Statement of Action on United Nations Food Systems Summit Press Release SG/2258 (23 September 2021); https://go.nature.com/3lhre5D

  2. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020: Transforming Food Systems for Affordable Healthy Diets (FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP, WHO, 2020); https://go.nature.com/3rfgtoh

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  5. Tubiello, F. N. et al. Preprint at Earth System Science Data https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2021-389 (2021).

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  7. Future Food Systems: For People, Our Planet and Prosperity (Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition, 2020).

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  9. Prakash-Mani, K. The Role of the Private Sector in Fixing the Broken Food System (WWF, 2018); https://go.nature.com/3E0wdPH

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Acknowledgements

The Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition is centrally funded by the African Development Bank, the Rockefeller Foundation, Irish Aid and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, London, UK

    Tim G. Benton

  2. Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition, London, UK

    Tim G. Benton, John Beddington, Sandy M. Thomas, Derek J. Flynn, Shenggen Fan & Patrick Webb

  3. Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK

    Sandy M. Thomas

  4. China Agricultural University, Beijing, China

    Shenggen Fan

  5. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA

    Patrick Webb

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  1. Tim G. Benton
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  2. John Beddington
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  4. Derek J. Flynn
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Correspondence to Tim G. Benton.

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Benton, T.G., Beddington, J., Thomas, S.M. et al. A ‘net zero’ equivalent target is needed to transform food systems. Nat Food 2, 905–906 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-021-00434-2

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