A focus on improvements to livestock production limits the scope for food systems transformation. Research, policy and industry must adopt measures to downsize livestock production and consumption to meet sustainability targets and facilitate a just transition.

Following the 2023 Mexican Healthy and Sustainable Dietary Guidelines could improve health and reduce the environmental impact and cost of diets, mainly by cutting down on red meat and processed food. In southern rural areas, however, the water footprint and cost of following these guidelines could rise due to increased consumption of nuts, fruits and vegetables.

The increasing availability of digital technologies for monitoring food systems creates an opportunity for enhanced transparency, fairness and open access. This Perspective discusses these issues, as well as eventual risks and research gaps associated with them.

Data from tangential flow filtration experiments using cell culture medium without animal products are used to estimate the costs of scaled-up, continuous cultivated chicken manufacturing.

Planthoppers are among the most destructive pests on rice. This study identified that a leucine-rich repeat protein OsLRR2 negatively regulates defence responses. Knockout of the encoding gene OsLRR2 enhances rice herbivore resistance and yield, which holds the potential to produce high-yielding rice varieties that are resistant to devastating pest insects.

Plant–environment interactions are examined using artificial intelligence and computational modelling, allowing energy use to be optimized in plant factories with artificial lighting.

Healthy and sustainable diets that better match the dietary preferences and economic affordability of specific groups are needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. To address this gap, this study proposes a region-specific reference diet for China and compares it to global dietary guidelines.

The United States is the world’s largest beef producer. Identifying strategies to mitigate its GHG emissions remains a challenge due to sector complexity and heterogeneity. This study takes an LCA approach to quantify potential mitigation opportunities available or soon to be available for the beef sector.

Data from tangential flow filtration experiments using cell culture medium without animal products are used to estimate the costs of scaled-up, continuous cultivated chicken manufacturing.

Accurately predicting how much rising atmospheric carbon dioxide can increase rice production is important for managing global rice production. This study highlights that elevated carbon dioxide will boost rice yields more in middle-to-high-income countries than in low-income countries, and that this yield gap will continue to widen in the future.

Not only does the problem persist, but it is also getting worse. Nature Food’s Collection ‘Loss and waste in food systems’ is a contribution to the debate on drivers, impacts and solutions.

A focus on improvements to livestock production limits the scope for food systems transformation. Research, policy and industry must adopt measures to downsize livestock production and consumption to meet sustainability targets and facilitate a just transition.

Policies for supporting domestic grain production propose converting large areas of marginal and low-grade arable land into strategic cropland reserves. This process will require advances in science and land engineering, and presents opportunities to revitalize social, economic and ecological systems in rural China.