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  • food
  1. Home
  2. Food

Food

How we think about, produce, consume and value food is changing. The food system is in transition, but will we go far enough and act fast enough?

Food is at the heart of many of the world’s environmental, social and economic challenges. The issues – from soil health to public health and how to sustain a growing global population on finite resources – are complex and cannot be solved in isolation. As it stands, the way we produce, consume and value food is pushing the planet, and its systems on which we rely, beyond their limits.

So how do we ensure we produce enough safe, nutritious and affordable food for everyone in sustainable ways? We call this sustainable nutrition - an approach to food production that optimises health and nutritional outcomes whilst restoring the key ecosystems and farming livelihoods on which we depend.

The world is responding to the need for sustainable nutrition. We’re seeing new products on our shelves, the explosion of plant-based eating, value chains being reimagined with equity and fair trade at their heart. We’re seeing new investments and innovation, everyday. Regenerative agriculture is entering the mainstream.

This all makes for a promising transition, but is it really adding up?

We’re at a crossroads

The food system is at a pivotal crossroads. Its transition will either be deep, deliberate and urgent - tackling the root causes of our challenge.

Or it will fall short, with ‘solutions’ addressing specific problems in isolation but failing to maintain momentum. These ‘fixes’ will ultimately fail - going neither far enough or fast enough, while simultaneously risking unintended consequences.

Which way we go is up to all of us. 



A vision for the future of food 

At Forum, we believe we need a socially just and ecologically safe shift to a food system fit for a radically different future. A food system that optimises for people and the planet, balancing health and nutritional outcomes with restoration of the ecosystems and farming livelihoods on which we all depend. 

This must be underpinned by both climate mitigation and adaptation practices, with a focus on mainstreaming regenerative agriculture, enhancing resilience and transforming the supply chains that deliver key commodities from plant to plate, crop to cup.



So where is Forum focusing? 

By 2030, we aim to have enabled a systemic, urgent transition in our food system to fulfil the needs of diets, livelihoods and land.

To do this, we are focused on four areas where we believe our skills, expertise and experience can make a real difference :

  • Reframing food narratives. The stories we tell ourselves and others must explicitly centre people - from an individual farmer’s right to a livelihood resilient to climate change, to everyone’s need for a healthy diet 
  • Unlocking barriers in the transition to regenerative agriculture. Agricultural techniques need to put back more that they take out, restoring the very soil they depend on. The answer isn’t something new; it’s something old: regenerative agriculture has been around for centuries, and it’s time to make it mainstream 
  • Reconfiguring value chains so that they are socially just, decarbonised, regenerative, and resilient in the face of disruption and discontinuity
  • Reframing the purpose of business in the food system. Why and how can businesses step up in driving healthy, affordable, sustainable diets that don’t cost the earth?
  • Reimagining and reshaping production landscapes. As our global population booms, we need to talk about land. How can we best use what will become (if it isn’t already) one of the world’s most sought after ‘commodities’ so that it is future-fit?



Get in touch

Reach out to Lesley or see more about our work in food below. 

We're tracking #signalsofchange in food live on the Futures Centre; why not head over and get involved?

Future-fit Value Chains

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A futures and innovation process to drive development of resilient, regenerative and just agricultural value chains in an increasingly disrupted world Read more

Published: 28th July, 2022

Updated: 23rd March, 2023

Author: Tanya Grueneberger

Growing our Future UK

Growing our Future UK

Working together to accelerate the transition to regenerative food and agriculture in the UK Read more

Published: 23rd June, 2022

Updated: 5th June, 2023

Author: Ulrike Stein

Protein Challenge Southeast Asia

Protein Challenge Southeast Asia

What is the future of protein in Southeast Asia? And how can 'protein visionaries' enable transformative change to a just and regenerative protein system in a rapidly changing region? Read more

Published: 12th July, 2021

Updated: 27th April, 2023

Author: Maria Powazka

Great Protein Transformation Challenge

Great Protein Transformation Challenge

Protein is a keystone issue for the food system, and the way we produce and consume have significant impacts on climate, biodiversity and human health. It’s also a powerful lens to see the wider food system. The need to act is clear. Read more

Published: 16th June, 2021

Updated: 22nd February, 2023

Author: Maria Powazka

Growing our Future US

Growing our Future US

Working together to accelerate the transition to a just and regenerative agriculture system in the United States. Read more

Published: 20th May, 2020

Updated: 31st May, 2023

Author: Maria Powazka

The Future of Food: are businesses on track to deliver a sustainable protein system by 2040?

The Future of Food: are businesses on track to deliver a sustainable protein system by 2040?

Our latest report, The Future of Food, explores this question and reviews the current state of the market. Read more

Published: 19th November, 2019

Updated: 22nd February, 2023

Author: Lucinda Thurmer

Edible Fats and Oils Collaboration

Edible Fats and Oils Collaboration

A collaborative, open-innovation initiative aiming to shift the edible fats and oils sector onto a sustainable footing. Explore its work so far. Read more

Published: 4th April, 2019

Updated: 22nd February, 2023

Author: Madeleine Wild

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Behaviour Change Business Circular Economy Climate Change Economy Forum Blog India Innovation Jonathon Porritt Leadership Supply Chain Sustainable Business System Change System Innovation The Big Shift Waste

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