A food systems approach to policy for health and sustainability

This report highlights the significant benefits for policymaking from a food systems approach. Thinking systemically and at an interdisciplinary level can help ensure that challenges are tackled from multiple perspectives and in a holistic way. Such an approach provides a way of identifying win-wins, managing trade-offs and mitigating less desirable outcomes, enabling stronger policy coherence across agriculture, nutrition, health, trade, climate and the environment, in both businesses and governments around the world.

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Participants in the GFS Policy Lab on the determinants of food choice for healthy and sustainable diets

Policy lab on the determinants of food choice for a healthy and sustainable diet

In March GFS ran a three-day Policy Lab for early career researchers, exploring the biological, social, environmental, physical and economic determinants of food choice in the UK and globally. After a series of expert talks, the delegates were posed the question: considering the different drivers of food choice, what combination of interventions across the food system would have the most impact in encouraging healthier and more sustainable diets?

Photo by Lou Liebau on Unsplash

Determinants of food choice for a healthy and sustainable diet

GFS will host an ECR Policy Lab on 19-21 March 2018, which will synthesise the latest knowledge and evidence in this area to better understand what determines food choice and to describe the best combination of interventions that would be most impactful in encouraging healthier and more sustainable diets. The winning team at the workshop will receive a £5,000 Policy Lab award to write a policy-facing report.

Field at sunset

Supporting connectivity across national food policy

This project will explore connectivity in national-level policy and governance structures that support key UK Government food system objectives, identifying opportunities for greater coordination to optimise decision making processes and provide greater support towards reaching food security goals.

Insight: Paris-compliant healthy food systems

Insight, issue six: Paris-compliant healthy food systems

GFS Insight aims to offer a balanced and interdisciplinary representation of the current state of knowledge in a particular area relating to food security. This issue outlines the need for a food system that supports both health and the Paris climate agreement, exploring impacts of food production and consumption as well as potential interventions to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions across the system.

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Cover image of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the UK food retail and manufacturing business

UN Sustainable Development Goals and the UK food retail and manufacturing business

The 17 SDGs were adopted by the UN in 2015 with the aim of driving the implementation of global sustainable development. This report details discussion at an industry focused workshop exploring how far UK food retail and manufacturing businesses are prepared for and engaged with the SDGs, and how research might help them play their part in meeting the goals.

(You can view PDF documents by downloading a PDF reader. We recommend using Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox web browsers.)

From left to right: Dr Ruth Wade (The University of Sheffield), Dr Alison Scott-Brown (Kew Gardens), Dr Sofia Cota-Franco (Newcastle University), Dr Rory O’Connor (University of Reading), and Dr Ben Keane (University of York)

GFS Policy Lab group funded

A team from the Policy Lab workshop were awarded a prize of £5,000 to produce a report examining how we can provide food alongside other ecosystem services, incorporating examples of best practice from other countries.