A dire situation confronts us: one in ten people worldwide face hunger, while two billion struggle with obesity or being overweight. Simultaneously, a staggering one-third of all food produced goes to waste, and agriculture contributes a significant portion, approximately one-third, of global greenhouse gas emissions. The need to transform our food systems into sustainable, healthy, and equitable models is clear, and this transformation requires a thoughtful, multi-faceted approach that prioritizes both human and planetary well-being. This is the core message of a special issue of The Lancet Planetary Health, published on November 3rd, coordinated by five members of Cornell's Food Systems and Global Change (FSGC) group, led by Professor Mario Herrero of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and Cornell Atkinson Scholar.
Professor Herrero emphasizes the significance of this special issue, stating, "It is a vital contribution to the ongoing dialogue on transforming the food system for the benefit of people and the planet. The issue highlights the need for simultaneous, multi-pronged actions to maximize the positive synergies between environmental protection, human health, and just food systems."
The special issue builds upon the work of the EAT-Lancet Commission, a global collaboration of experts from over 35 countries and six continents. The Commission released its second report on October 3rd, and the FSGC group recognized the need to delve deeper into the complex issues surrounding food systems. Daniel Mason-D'Croz, a senior research associate in CALS, explains that the group wanted to provide more comprehensive information than what could fit in the report, hence the development of the special issue.
Our planet's boundaries are under immense pressure due to climate change, land use challenges, and biodiversity loss. Food systems are at the heart of these interconnected crises, as highlighted by Mason-D'Croz. He compares the food system to a water balloon, where pushing on one part causes another to bulge. This complexity makes food system transformation a challenging endeavor, requiring a holistic approach that addresses multiple issues simultaneously.
For instance, adopting healthy diets in line with EAT-Lancet recommendations can bring health and environmental benefits. However, as Marina Sundiang, a postdoctoral associate in FSGC and lead author of one of the special issue's papers, points out, increased consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables may lead to higher food loss and waste due to their perishability compared to processed foods. Sundiang emphasizes the importance of measures to reduce and manage food loss and waste to counterbalance this rebound effect and drive food system transformation.
Throughout the special issue, researchers explore potential solutions for producers, consumers, and governments to improve food systems. For consumers, the key recommendation is adopting a healthy diet with modest animal-sourced food consumption and increased fruit and vegetable intake. For producers, recommendations include increasing productivity and promoting circularity by recycling nutrients throughout the food supply chain, such as through careful fertilizer management. Governments play a crucial role by providing sustained, long-term support for scientific research and development to create new varieties and management practices that can feed more people with fewer resources.
Thais Diniz Oliveira, a former postdoctoral associate in FSGC and now a sustainable development specialist with the United Nations Development Programme, and Matthew Gibson, a postdoctoral associate in FSGC, also contributed to the special issue. Gibson, who began his Ph.D. program in environmental policy shortly after the first EAT-Lancet report was published in 2019, highlights how the report transformed his understanding of the interconnectedness of social and ecological systems. He hopes this second report and special issue will have a similar impact on others, catalyzing new collaborations and driving progress in food systems research and policy.
"My hope is that this special issue will spark new collaborations and open up avenues for further exploration in food systems research and policy," Gibson said. "We've brought together cutting-edge models and researchers from around the world, but there's still so much we need to uncover. One of the most pressing questions is how to transform these systems at the speed and scale required. The challenges are immense, and time is of the essence."
Key contributors from other institutions include Wageningen University in the Netherlands, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany, University College London, the University of Purdue in Indiana, and the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington, D.C. This research was funded by the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the CGIAR Foresight Initiative, and donors who supported the individual modeling teams involved in these studies.
The special issue of The Lancet Planetary Health is a call to action, highlighting the urgent need for transformative changes in our food systems to ensure a healthier, more sustainable, and equitable future for both people and the planet.
