An introduction

What is a food system? The food system includes activities involving the production, processing, transport and consumption of food. The food system also includes, for example, the governance and economics of food production, cultural values, the environment under which food is grown, and science and technology. Sounds complex, doesn't it? But you are a part … Continue reading An introduction

A systematic scoping review of the sustainability of food systems technologies

I’m excited to announce that our recent paper on the sustainability of food systems technologies has been published in Nature Food! Food system technologies (FSTs) are being developed to accelerate the transformation towards sustainable food systems. Here we conducted a systematic scoping review that accounts for multiple dimensions of sustainability to describe the extent, range … Continue reading A systematic scoping review of the sustainability of food systems technologies

Gathering data on food environments and food practices

Our research on food environments in Copenhagen is out! Unhealthy diets are the leading cause of mortality and morbidity globally. Simultaneously, the factors that influence diet-related ill-health also drive climate change. Acknowledging the link between health and environmental sustainability, in 2019 the EAT-Lancet Commission outlined a diet beneficial for both humans and the planet. There … Continue reading Gathering data on food environments and food practices

Plant-based diets and their impact on health, sustainability and the environment

I'm happy to have had the opportunity to lead the development of this WHO Europe Factsheet on plant-based diets. In the WHO European Region, more and more people are shifting towards plant-based diets for reasons relating to health, as well as to ethical considerations about climate change and animal welfare. In some countries changes indietary … Continue reading Plant-based diets and their impact on health, sustainability and the environment

Insect and Hydroponic Farming in Africa : The New Circular Food Economy

We did it! Congrats to my fellow co-authors for producing this World Bank book on the new circular food economy. This book presents a heavily disruptive, inclusive, and resilient solution to Africa’s wide-ranging food security challenges. Specifically, it assesses the benefits and costs of using the frontier agriculture technologies to create a circular food economy … Continue reading Insect and Hydroponic Farming in Africa : The New Circular Food Economy

WHO European Regional Obesity Report 2022: Obesogenic digital food environments

This important report on obesity in the WHO European Region is published by the WHO European Office for Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases. I am proud to have lead the development of the chapter on obesogenic digital food environments together with my fantastic co-authors. Obesity is one of the key risk factors for many … Continue reading WHO European Regional Obesity Report 2022: Obesogenic digital food environments

Slide to order: a food systems approach to meal delivery apps

Fresh off the press! Our newest WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases report is out! Meal delivery apps (‎MDAs)‎ are a rapidly growing part of the digital food environment in the WHO European Region. The implications of this multibillion Euro sector on health, nutrition, environment and society at large are … Continue reading Slide to order: a food systems approach to meal delivery apps

The future of the HoReCa sector: economic, social and environmental sustainability

According to an EIT Food Foresight Study on the impact of COVID-19 in the agrifood sector, the HoReCa segment proved to be one of the most negatively impacted by the pandemic. Hotels, restaurants and catering businesses faced multiple challenges due to lockdowns and travel bans. What is the future of the hospitality segment in these … Continue reading The future of the HoReCa sector: economic, social and environmental sustainability

The Foreign Desk: Sustainable agriculture

How can we eat more sustainable? Does livestock have a future in green farming? Is small-scale farming the future? As an economic sector, agriculture accounts for almost a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions but agreement on how to reduce that is proving difficult. Monocle’s “The Foreign Desk” has teamed up with the Nordic Council … Continue reading The Foreign Desk: Sustainable agriculture

The Power to Shift a System

As systems change becomes more urgent, so does the question of who has the power to shift systems. Does it lie with powerful insiders and institutions, or activists and social movements? Where does the power to initiate change come from and how can hard and soft power be harnessed together to shift a system? In … Continue reading The Power to Shift a System

New research: Sustainable food profiling models

Check our newest research published in Lancet Planetary Health! Sustainable food profiling models (SFPMs) are the scientific basis for the labelling of food products according to their environmental and nutritional impact, allowing consumers to make informed choices. We identified ten SFPMs that score individual foods according to at least two environmental indicators, with the most … Continue reading New research: Sustainable food profiling models