The Growth Case for Sustainable Food Systems
Safe and nutritious food is a fundamental right for everyone, everywhere. Despite this, two billion people today are without secure access to adequate nutrition, while an alarming 40% of all food produced globally is either lost or wasted. This troubling imbalance highlights the urgent need for transformation in the global food system. The transformation is crucial not only for ensuring food security but also for fostering decarbonization and promoting economic growth.
Governments, policymakers, and industries all have crucial roles to play in addressing the interconnected issues facing our global food system. Even though food systems were one of the key priorities at COP30, both food and agriculture were noticeably absent from the final negotiated outcomes. The lack of secure food access stifles growth on multiple levels—regional, national, and global—by hindering the development of human capital and increasing governmental costs.
Establishing a more secure and efficient food system lays a substantial foundation for economic growth. It promotes stability, reduces uncertainties, and encourages investment as well as innovation. This potential transformation, if realized, carries monumental benefits. Deloitte estimates suggest that transforming food systems could unlock $121 trillion in global economic growth by 2070, significantly enhancing worldwide food accessibility.
Building Resilient Food Systems
Decarbonization is commonly emphasized as a primary motivation for transforming our food systems. Through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), countries measure their actions to reduce emissions and, subsequently, establish pathways to achieve net-zero targets. Addressing food system challenges, particularly food loss and waste, must be a fundamental pillar of these strategies.
Nonetheless, a broader approach is necessary—one that encapsulates the resilience agenda comprehensively by accounting for climate volatility, resource scarcity, nature depletion, and human rights concerns. Crucially, addressing global hunger should remain at the forefront. The Food Systems Economics Commission warns that by 2050, 640 million people, including 121 million children, might still be underweight, particularly in India, Southeast Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa.
What's more, the disparity between people and resources persists. Food waste is expected to increase by 16%, reaching 76 kilograms of dry matter per person annually. Ignoring food loss and waste in climate planning is no longer feasible. It's essential to leverage equipment, technologies, and services to enhance efficient food production, minimize food loss during manufacturing, and maintain food safety without the need for refrigeration.
Sustainably designed packaging solutions, tailored to local conditions, are vital in reducing post-harvest losses and combating food waste. For instance, aseptic cartons extend perishable food shelf life by 6 to 12 months, maintaining nutrition and preventing spoilage without preservatives or energy-intensive refrigeration, thereby ensuring food safety in regions lacking reliable cold chains.
Unlocking the "Hidden Middle"
Between farm and fork lies the journey through processing, logistics, storage, packaging, and handling—factors that account for a significant portion of the food system’s economic value. However, this segment is often unrecognized, leading to its designation as the “hidden middle” of food systems. This "hidden middle" is responsible for up to 18% of agrifood emissions and presents a substantial opportunity for job creation and economic growth, yet less than 5% of climate finance currently addresses it.
Redirecting investment towards this crucial segment and incentivizing manufacturers to embrace low-carbon technologies can lead to transformative changes. Advanced manufacturers, like Tetra Pak, exemplify how processing equipment and expertise can revolutionize food systems, particularly the hidden middle.
Digital innovation is a notable tool through which producers and processing solution providers can collaborate for more efficient and sustainable food systems. Automation and real-time data collection can optimize processes and enhance resource efficiency, as demonstrated by Mengniu, a dairy company that established the world’s first fully intelligent dairy factory—recognized by the World Economic Forum as a “lighthouse factory.” By combining automation with digital systems and highly efficient equipment, Mengniu's Ningxia plant cut energy consumption by 43%, operational costs by 32%, delivery lead times by 55%, and quality issues by 60%.
Such efficiencies offer substantial savings and contribute to reducing food loss and waste, proving beneficial for both sustainability and commercial success. Comparative studies reveal that highly automated beverage factories operate with 20% higher equipment effectiveness, generate 45% less product waste, and experience 20% fewer packaging line halts than less automated ones.
Food, People, Planet
As the discussions from COP30 lead into future negotiations in Bonn and COP31, it remains critical for governments to integrate food system transformation within their NDCs and climate strategies. Such transformations should involve redirecting climate finance towards resilient food systems, evaluating climate actions for their impacts on food security, and recognizing processing and packaging technologies as strategic components for accelerating food systems transformation.
The transformation of food systems carries immense potential for high returns alongside comprehensive benefits. The collaboration among businesses, governments, financial institutions, and communities is essential in creating secure, sustainable, and resilient food systems that benefit both people and the planet.
Despite food systems contributing to over a third of global emissions, they also represent one of the most influential levers for change. By promoting innovation and investment within the hidden middle, we can discover solutions that provide food security, bolster resilience, and catalyze sustainable growth.
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