Our key takeaway: We are at a critical juncture when it comes to our food systems. COVID-19 increased the number of undernourished people worldwide to 9.8%. Nearly 3.1 billion people are not able to afford a healthy diet, and 828 million people face hunger (2021 figures). Obesity and excess weight are on the rise. Disruptions to the supply and trade of food products will make things worse. In addition, lots of food is lost during production, storage, transport, processing and distribution (14%), with more food wasted downstream (17%). And food systems account for an estimated 30 to 34 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions (with 71 per cent of this originating from agriculture and land use-related activities.) Three UN agencies - UNEP, FAO and UNDP - have said: enough is enough. We need sustainable food systems transformation, and we need it to be done in a multi-stakeholder collaborative way. This means being inclusive and identifying all relevant stakeholders; taking a systems approach to identify the opportunities and challenges facing the food system; putting in place well-functioning governance systems; defining a compass and roadmap forward; and putting measures in place to ensure the sustainability of the initiative. Long story short, we need to work together in an effective and inclusive manner. It’s the only way for the sustainability of our food systems.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) published ‘Rethinking Our Food Systems: A Guide for Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration’ (June 2023):