Horton et al., 2025

How to transform the failing global food system to provide a resilient, sustainable food future is one of the most urgent problems facing humankind [1]. Global changes in food demand and dietary habits are placing an unsustainable burden on healthcare systems and environmental sustainability at the same time as several emerging threats to the production and supply of food. There is no shortage of reports and academic papers making the case for the need to transform food systems, many of which are cited in this Theme Issue. A wide spectrum of evidence documents the long-term unsustainability of how we produce food, how it is processed and the negative health consequences of our diets. This includes: data on child malnutrition and the consequences for brain development; the negative impact of diet-related disease on labour productivity and premature deaths; the destruction of natural resources required to support food production; the high contributions to greenhouse gas emissions; and predictions of the increasing difficulty of maintaining food supplies at the scale to feed the world’s population amidst socioeconomic, political and environmental challenges. The evidence of the need for change is clear, but several factors make it very difficult for governments to identify effective policies. These include: the size of the contribution of the food sector to the economy (for the UK in 2022 this was £147 billion or 6.5% of economic activity as gross value added and 4.2 million or 13.4% of employment [2]); the impact on rural life; the complexity of interactions globally; and the power imbalance between producers and retailers.