Reviews & Analysis

Working across agriculture–nutrition domains, nutrition balance sheets provide farm-to-fork estimates of the availability of dietary nutrients for human consumption.

Food systems change across space and time. Lessons to steer food systems towards sustainability can be drawn from studying the drivers and implications of these changes through a systems-based food system classification (typology).

A precision compost strategy (PCS) has been proposed to improve soil fertility and achieve higher yields. For wider adoption of the PCS, costs and environmental trade-offs need to be considered, knowledge dissemination enhanced, and financial incentives implemented.

This Perspective proposes a strategy for making Chinese food systems more sustainable, taking into account the interlinkages between agricultural production and food consumption across the supply chain and going beyond agriculture-focused perspectives.

Understanding the relationship between the production of farmed Atlantic salmon and the use of marine resources is imperative for planning the future growth of this industry and the sustainable management of these marine resources. This study demonstrates that the Atlantic salmon aquaculture industry can grow without the input of additional marine resources.

The discovery of a natural variation in an ancient rice variety shows the way to reduce the harmful element cadmium in a key food without sacrificing yield and concentrations of other essential nutrients.

Nuclear weapons obliterate targets. The soot ejected into the stratosphere spreads, changing global weather patterns. When weapons are especially high yielding, the resultant soot could trigger global famine.

Simulation studies can provide valuable input to governance actors when choosing which measures to adopt in the pursuit of food security. However, such studies often neglect spillover effects and rarely simulate the targeted nature of governance interventions or factor in value-chain dynamics.

A realist review of 20 voluntary actions by the food and beverage industry in low- and middle-income countries analyses the implications of these actions for public health and policy. This realist review reveals that voluntary actions often aim to protect industry interests rather than improve public health.

Advancing wheat sowing dates has a large benefit to crop yields in the Eastern Ganges Plain of India. The contribution of better crop calendar management to yield gains should be studied more extensively around the world, especially in underperforming regions.

Conventional nitrogen fertilizers are costly for human and environmental health. This Perspective discusses barriers and opportunities in designing enhanced-efficiency fertilizers and incorporating these alternative technologies into policy- and decision-making.

Nutrient security in the United Kingdom appears to be stable and secure, but it is unclear whether this will continue to be the case if dietary patterns change, or if new trade arrangements emerge.

In silico cultivar selection estimates that the global potential wheat yield may be doubled. However, there remain many challenges in leveraging the yield potential into practice.

Tillage on slopes thins the soil and reduces crop yields. Increased yields in regions where soil is deposited partially compensate for this reduction in crop yields at regional scales. However, continued increases in tillage intensity and climate-change-induced increases in dry spells may lead to reduced crop yields.

Principles encompassed in ‘less but better’ meat could shift meat production and consumption towards greater sustainability. A systematic review identifies inconsistencies in the term’s definition and explores different interpretations that could lead to a shared vision of meat within food systems.

Food production in a given solar footprint is limited by the efficiency of natural photosynthesis. Now, a hybrid electrochemical–biological artificial photosynthesis system demonstrates the potential for food synthesis from CO₂ and electricity, enabling a paradigm shift in food production.

A cost-effective, high-throughput fibre-based food packaging approach using non-toxic, biodegradable biopolymer materials offers a strategy to considerably increase food safety and security while minimizing food waste.

Trade enables food access and is therefore key to achieving global food security. However, greenhouse gas emissions associated with food transport are many times higher than what was indicated by previous estimates.

Climate change will severely influence the yield, production and water demand of processing tomatoes. Atmospheric CO₂ concentration may offset, but not fully compensate, the adverse effects of elevated temperatures.

The digital twin technology uses real-time sensor data and in silico models to predict food quality and marketability metrics for every single refrigerated shipment. With this approach, we can identify the optimal shipment temperature window for maintaining citrus fruit quality, killing fruit fly larvae and avoiding chilling injury.