Food systems – what do they cost us today? What benefits could they bring? How do we make change happen? The FSEC Global Policy Report brings together world-leading economic experts to answer these crucial questions. 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. The economic value
of this human suffering and planetary harm is
well above 10 trillion USD
a year, more than food
systems contribute to global GDP. In short, our food
systems are destroying more value than they create. Yet in many policy
discussions, such as those around climate change,
food systems have long been ignored. 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. 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.
FSEC findings are based on rigorous economic
modeling, in-depth literature reviews, and case
studies.
