Reviews & Analysis

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  • The condition of food is checked using standard laboratory tests — which are not regularly available to supply-chain personnel or end customers. A miniaturized sensor of spoilage in protein-rich foods, which leverages advances in polymer engineering and low-cost sensing, will enable more frequent and accessible testing, improving food safety and quality control.

    Research Briefing
  • The time has come to include the wellbeing of animals in cost–benefit evaluations that inform agricultural policy. By doing so, we would account for those with the most to gain — or lose — from our choices.

    • Kevin Kuruc
    • Jonathan McFadden
    News & Views
  • By analysing recipes, it is possible to gain insights into the impacts of food preparation and consumption in different geographical contexts.

    • Chloe Clifford Astbury
    News & Views
  • Empirical analyses of historical yields paired with manipulative experiments reveal that extreme rainfall reduces rice yields in China by physically disturbing the panicle and by reducing available soil nitrogen. Such mechanistic understanding aids prediction and mitigation of damages from climate change.

    • Jonathan Proctor
    News & Views
  • The double burden of malnutrition affects one-third of children globally. Knowledge on children’s current food consumption and related sociodemographic factors can guide actions towards improving children’s lifelong nutrition and health, and promote environmentally sustainable diets.

    • Anne-Maria Pajari
    • Maijaliisa Erkkola
    News & Views
  • Edible insects contain dietary fibre in the form of chitin and its derivatives, as well as omega-3 fatty acids, but questions remain about how consumption impacts the gut microbiome and intestinal health. Although insect production may be useful to address food security, more human intervention studies are needed to explore their potential for broader health benefits.

    • Valerie J. Stull
    • Tiffany L. Weir
    Perspective
  • A scenario analysis reveals how changes in food production and consumption towards circularity could save natural resources in Europe — without compromising the provision of sufficient micronutrients and macronutrients for the continent’s population.

    • Vilma Sandström
    • Matti Kummu
    News & Views
  • Climate change has already impacted nitrogen use and crop production. Nitrogen and climate scientists have to work together to understand future agricultural nitrogen use and adapt nitrogen management in a changing climate.

    • Luis Lassaletta
    • Rasmus Einarsson
    • Miguel Quemada
    News & Views
  • Better use of nitrogen fertilizers is key to tackling the challenge of feeding a growing world population without impairing planetary sustainability. Advanced nitrogen management and dietary changes could substantially increase Earth’s feeding capacity.

    • Longlong Xia
    • Xiaoyuan Yan
    News & Views
  • Many countries respond to short-term price fluctuations by adopting export restrictions and importing liberalization measures. The mere announcement of trade policy changes can aggravate price volatility.

    • Maros Ivanic
    News & Views
  • The Russia–Ukraine conflict affected the price of staple crops and spurred interest in tropical wheat production. Regional consumption patterns and trade are better placed to guide effective and sustainable food security policy strategies.

    • David Laborde
    • Valeria Piñeiro
    News & Views
  • Life cycle assessment reveals that the emissions from the treatment and disposal of lost and wasted food account for around half of greenhouse gas emissions from food systems. Therefore, saving food is essential to reduce food systems’ environmental impacts.

    • Prajal Pradhan
    News & Views
  • Low-cost informational interventions promoting the environmental and health benefits of reducing meat consumption can stimulate long-lasting dietary change and build support for systemic meat reduction policies.

    • Paul M. Lohmann
    News & Views
  • The capacity of carbon dioxide removal currently deployed is far below what is needed to achieve the Paris Agreement temperature target. Biochar from crop residues could help China meet its 2060 net zero goal while bringing health and environmental benefits.

    • Annette L. Cowie
    News & Views
  • Taxing meat could benefit the environment, animal welfare and public health. However, such demand-side policies often face political obstacles, and politicians fear public backlash; strategic policy framing and design offer leeway.

    • Lukas Fesenfeld
    News & Views
  • The Chinese breadbasket is not where it used to be. Reshaped land systems have extended distances between food production and consumption, thus increasing carbon emissions associated with grain transport.

    • Qiangyi Yu
    • Wenbin Wu
    • Huajun Tang
    News & Views
  • Sustainable crop protection approaches are crucial to feeding an exponentially increasing global population. Seed wraps developed from banana harvest biomass and loaded with an ultra-low volume of a pesticide resulted in a substantial increase in the yield and quality of yam crops in field trials in Benin.

    Research Briefing
  • Plant parasitic nematodes (PPNs) are responsible for substantial yield and post-harvest losses in yam production among smallholders in Africa. A seed wrap technology provides a low-cost, nature-based solution.

    • Fathiya Mbarak Khamis
    News & Views
  • The increasing production and use of nitrogen fertilizers exert extreme pressure on the environment. There are ways to mitigate its harmful impacts without sacrificing food quality and quantity.

    • Atul K. Jain
    News & Views