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Voluntary actions by the food and beverage industry are often adopted in lieu of public health policies. The realist review methodology here evaluates the context, mechanisms and outcomes of voluntary actions against unhealthy diets in low- and middle-income settings.
Shifting from cattle farming to camels and goats could deliver more sustainable milk production under climate-change-induced heat stress and resource scarcity in the drylands of north sub-Saharan Africa.
Current cropping calendar management erodes wheat yield potential in the rice–wheat cropping system of eastern India. By combining field and household survey data, time series of remotely sensed information and dynamic crop simulations, this study shows that exploitable wheat yield gaps could increase by 69% through planting date adjustments that enhance climate resilience.
The role of social resilience in mitigating hunger related to climate change is explored in North Korea, South Korea and China, regions with similar climatic conditions but varying levels of economic development.
Micronutrient availability is key to future global food security. A macroanalysis reveals how sources of micronutrients and countries of origin have varied in the United Kingdom over the six decades before Brexit. Through scenario analysis, the effects of trade and dietary choices on nutrient supply and demand are also explored.
The wheat genetic yield gap globally ranges from 30% to 70%, indicating current wheat yields are substantially below achievable genetic yield potentials. There is potential to close the existing genetic yield gap with crop genetic improvement and adaption.
Coupling a two-step electrochemical system that converts CO2 to acetate with photovoltaics increases solar-to-food energy conversion efficiency, providing an alternative route to produce food from carbon dioxide and electricity, independent of biological photosynthesis.
Using soil redistribution and crop growth models, this study shows that as the duration and intensity of tillage increases, wheat and maize yields decrease. Under projected future climate conditions, the impact of crop yields from tillage erosion will be amplified due to reduced water availability.
The concept of ‘less but better’ meat lacks clarity. A shared vision of livestock systems and meat consumption needs to be outlined to guide decision-makers towards food system sustainability.
The contribution of transportation to food systems’ total carbon footprint varies widely depending on calculation methods, indicating different priorities for climate change mitigation in the sector. Here, a global multi-region accounting framework that estimates food-miles and associated emissions over the whole supply chain shows the benefits of localizing food production.
A scalable, sustainable and cost-effective approach was developed to synthesize non-toxic, biodegradable pullulan fibres containing naturally derived antimicrobial agents. This food packaging system was tested on avocado and shows potential to enhance food safety while reducing food waste.
The projected increase in temperature will decrease processing tomato production in the three main producing countries by 2050. Temperature increases and water resource constraints in the future might change the main processing tomato growing regions and shift the value chain in the coming decades.
A physics-based digital twin simulating the physical, physiological and microbiological behaviour of citrus fruits shipped at sub-zero temperatures reveals that half of the shipments lie outside the ideal trade-off range between maintaining quality, killing fruit flies and avoiding chilling injury.
The extent to which policy-induced changes in food demand patterns help address environmental and health challenges remains poorly understood. Using a survey-based, randomized controlled experiment with almost 6,000 respondents from the United Kingdom, this study assesses the impacts on food purchases, greenhouse gas emissions and dietary health of applying carbon and/or health taxes, information provision and a combination of both tax and information strategies.
Biochemical reaction networks that characterize living organisms have a universality that enables the prediction of the chemical composition of food. A mathematical rationale is provided here for quantifying nutrient concentrations in food and imputing missing quantities in food composition databases.
Price fluctuations associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have been key determinants of food security in the recent past. A comparison of monthly retail prices in 181 countries from January 2019 to June 2021 reveals which regions and food items have been most affected.
This study explores the magnitude, spatiotemporal variation and drivers of nitrous oxide emissions from Chinese livestock production over the past four decades. Scenario analysis is used to estimate emissions mitigation potential of different measures, their associated marginal abatement costs and the social benefits.
Income reduction in high-income regions is insufficient for mitigating food systems greenhouse gas emissions. A deeper transformation is required that changes consumption patterns and prices emissions.
Food exports impact biodiversity in countries directly involved in trading and beyond. This study calculates food trade flows among high-hotspot, low-hotspot and non-hotspot countries, including high- and low-income ones, over 2000–2018. The amount of land saved through the imports is calculated for 189 food items.