Food systems and global transformation: when food safety becomes the core agenda of sustainable development.

Food Systems: A Global Governance Issue That Goes Beyond Food

In the United Nations sustainable development agenda, food systems are often simplified into a single goal of "eradicating hunger." In reality, however, food systems go far beyond food itself. They cover the entire chain from production, processing, and transportation to consumption, profoundly affecting the health, livelihoods, and ecological security of more than 8 billion people worldwide. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the agricultural sector employs approximately 883 million people globally, while natural ecosystems provide basic services for food production such as pollination, soil formation, nutrient cycling, and water regulation. Once food systems fail, they not only trigger hunger but also disrupt education, public health, social stability, and even peace and security.

For this reason, food system transformation has been increasingly regarded by international institutions as one of the most powerful levers for achieving all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In its latest analysis, the Geneva Environment Network pointed out that the global food system is in a state of being "fragile, under-examined, and prone to collapse" — a reality already exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, intensifying climate change, biodiversity loss, and ongoing environmental pollution further erode the resilience of food systems. Such systemic risk is becoming the new normal that global governance must confront.

The Development Divide Behind the Numbers

Global food security remains severe. According to United Nations statistics, in 2019 approximately 2 billion people worldwide were unable to regularly access safe, nutritious, and sufficient food. If recent trends continue, by 2030 the number of people affected by hunger will exceed 840 million, accounting for 9.8 percent of the global population. This means that, relative to the "Zero Hunger" commitment of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, the international community is still moving backward.

More notably, the environmental costs imposed by food systems are expanding exponentially. Unsustainable agricultural practices have led to soil erosion, pollution of water bodies by agricultural chemicals, and increased greenhouse gas emissions. Disasters such as droughts, floods, and landslides are having increasingly severe impacts on food security, and climate change is making these disasters more frequent and intense. The tension between agricultural expansion and nature conservation is particularly acute in developing countries — countries that often depend most heavily on agriculture yet possess the least adaptive capacity.

From the perspective of global development research, persistent hunger is not caused by insufficient food production, but by systemic failures in distribution mechanisms, infrastructure, and governance capacity. Food insecurity rates in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and parts of Latin America are far higher than the global average; these regions also have the greatest climate vulnerability and the weakest social protection systems. At its core, food security is an issue of development equity.

The Food System Under the Triple CrisisThe world today faces the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. The food system is both a major driver of this crisis and its most direct victim. Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, forestry, and land-use change account for about a quarter of total global emissions. At the same time, extreme weather events are destroying crops, livestock, and fisheries, threatening the stability of food supply chains.

The Geneva Environment Network stresses in particular that environmental factors are crucial to achieving all the targets of SDG 2 (Zero Hunger). In the long run, only resilient food systems that coexist in harmony with nature can provide the reliable food sources needed for human health. This calls for a fundamental transformation of existing production and consumption patterns, not merely technical fixes.

This recognition is driving a shift in the global governance agenda. From the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit, to the first Food Systems Stocktaking Moment (UNFSS+2) held in Rome in 2023, to the second stocktaking conference (UNFSS+4) held in Addis Ababa in 2025, the international community has sought, through a series of high-level dialogues, to integrate food systems transformation into the broader sustainable development framework. These meetings are not only political declarations; they are also successive tests of countries' commitments.

From Food Security to Food Safety: Expanding Governance

Food security and food safety are closely linked. According to the World Health Organization, 600 million people fall ill each year from more than 200 types of foodborne diseases, and 420,000 of them die preventable deaths. Foodborne diseases hit the poor and children hardest. This is not only a public health issue; it is also an obstacle to economic development and social equity.

The theme of World Food Safety Day 2026 — “From burden to solutions: making safe food available everywhere” — marks a deepening global understanding of food safety. A new WHO report estimating the global burden of foodborne diseases is about to be released, providing for the first time data on the disease burden at global, regional, and national levels from 2000 to 2021. These data will help countries identify policy priorities and drive more targeted, cost-effective interventions.

Notably, food safety is being integrated into the broader development agenda. The implementation of Codex Alimentarius standards, the strengthening of national food control systems, and the promotion of safe food handling practices are seen as key tools for tackling foodborne diseases. This demonstrates that food safety is not merely a technical issue but a governance issue that requires coordinated action across sectors and borders.

The New Logic of Food Systems Investment from an ESG Perspective

Amid the wave of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) investing, the food system is becoming a major area for capital reallocation. Traditional agricultural projects often face environmental risks and social controversy, while sustainable agriculture, regenerative agriculture, precision agriculture, and the digital transformation of food supply chains are attracting growing impact investment and green financing.From the environmental dimension, the relationship between food production and land, water, and biodiversity directly determines the environmental performance in ESG ratings. From the social dimension, the rights and interests of agricultural workers, food safety, and the development of rural communities constitute the core issues of the social dimension. From the governance dimension, supply chain transparency, responsible corporate sourcing, and alignment with international standards have become key indicators for measuring the governance capacity of food enterprises.

For developing countries, the proliferation of ESG standards is both an opportunity and a challenge. On the one hand, sustainable agriculture certification and green financing can help smallholder farmers improve production conditions and gain access to more stable markets. On the other hand, if ESG standards are detached from the realities of developing countries, they may create new trade barriers and further marginalize vulnerable smallholder economies. Therefore, global development institutions emphasize that ESG frameworks must take into account differences in capacity across countries and establish an inclusive system of sustainable standards.

The Role and Challenges of the Global South

Countries in the Global South occupy a unique dual position in food system transformation. They are both the most severely affected victims of climate change and food insecurity and the key source of potential growth in global food production. Sub-Saharan Africa has more than 60% of the world's uncultivated arable land, yet its food production has long been inefficient, with underinvestment in agricultural infrastructure and low rates of technology adoption.

International organizations play a bridging role in promoting food system transformation in Southern countries. The World Food Programme's procurement and logistics networks, the Food and Agriculture Organization's technical assistance, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development's support for smallholder agriculture are all helping developing countries build more resilient food systems. However, the development financing gap remains enormous. The share of official development assistance allocated to agriculture has long been below 10%, and the portion of climate finance directed to agricultural adaptation and resilience building is also far from sufficient.

The follow-up process of the United Nations Food Systems Summit is attempting to change this situation. The fact that UNFSS+4 is being held in Africa is itself symbolic—it signals that the center of gravity of global food governance is shifting toward the South. But it must also be acknowledged that pledges made at global summits alone are not enough to resolve long-standing structural inequalities. Developed countries need to honor their climate finance and development assistance commitments, while also opening their markets and eliminating non-tariff barriers to agricultural products from developing countries.

Beyond Hunger: Long-Termism in Rebuilding Food Systems

The choice of pathway for food system transformation will profoundly shape the global development landscape for decades to come. A sustainable food system should be able to meet three conditions simultaneously: first, providing safe, nutritious, and affordable food for all people; second, operating within ecological boundaries without undermining natural capital; and third, offering decent livelihoods and fair opportunities for those engaged in agriculture.This requires us to move beyond the single-minded focus on "increasing production" and toward systemic change. For example, reducing food loss and waste is itself an important way to improve resource efficiency. Currently, about one-third of the world's food is lost or wasted during production and consumption, which is equivalent to wasting one-quarter of global agricultural land and one-quarter of irrigation water. Improving food storage and transportation infrastructure, especially in tropical regions, can significantly reduce post-harvest losses.

At the same time, adjusting dietary structures is also crucial. The continued growth of global meat consumption has placed enormous pressure on land, water, and the climate. Promoting healthy plant-based diets not only helps improve public health but also reduces agriculture's impact on the environment. However, this requires a shift in cultural attitudes and the spread of nutrition education, and cannot be achieved overnight.

Conclusion: The future of food systems is the future of global governance

The food system is not an isolated sector, but a hub connecting people and nature, the South and the North, and the economy and society. The "food systems perspective" advocated by the Geneva Environment Network is, in essence, a profound reflection on traditional development models. Food issues are no longer the exclusive domain of agriculture ministries, but a governance challenge involving coordination across trade, climate, finance, health, and other sectors.

In future global governance, whether we can successfully transform food systems will largely determine whether we can meet the Paris climate goals, halt biodiversity loss, achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, and build a fairer world. The international community needs to shift from short-term crisis response to building long-term systemic resilience, elevating food security to the same strategic level as climate security.

Every consumer, farmer, business, and government is part of the food system. Real transformation requires collective action and responsibility from the whole of society. The responsibility of global development researchers lies in uncovering those hidden systemic risks and proposing actionable solutions—so that food systems truly become a cornerstone of sustainable development, not a source of risk.