Our food systems — the way we produce, market, and consume food — are part of the political, social, economic, ecological, and cultural fabric of our communities. They have achieved something of a miracle, keeping pace with decades of population growth while decreasing some forms of malnutrition, reducing poverty and increasing life expectancy. But progress has been uneven around the world. And the recent evolution of food systems has fuelled – and continues to inflame – some of the greatest and gravest challenges facing humanity, notably persistent hunger, undernutrition, the obesity epidemic, loss of biodiversity, environmental damage and climate change.

Ignoring the consequences of today’s food systems locks the world onto a course that escalates their negative effects disastrously. Yet in many policy discussions, such as those around climate change, food systems have long been ignored. Concerns for food affordability and the livelihoods of hundreds of millions who depend on food systems, the power of large-scale players, and divergent views among stakeholders about what sustainable food systems look like have all contributed to make food systems something of an exception.

This report identifies the elements of what a transformation from today’s food systems to an inclusive, health-enhancing and environmentally sustainable global food system entails. It shows that such a transformation is not only biophysically and technically feasible - it offers immense economic benefits to societies across the world.

The report summarizes the findings of a four-year investigation by the Food System Economics Commission (FSEC), an independent commission expressly created to assess options for comprehensive food system transformation.