About the way we make and eat food – from food packaging, to the placement of products in the grocery store aisles, to the background music played while browsing – is the result of a well-designed system.
Once we see the food system through this design lens, it seems to be mature. 60% of the calories consumed worldwide originate from four crops, rice, corn and potatoes – a shockingly unified level that leaves our food system vulnerable to crises such as pandemics and extreme weather. Due to the fragile, fragile links in the food supply chain, we have seen how quickly the shelves are empty and the main scheduling prices will soar.
But what if grocery stores carry truly sustainable foods that are designed to regenerate nature and build more resilient food systems? Products such as pasta, products made from a variety of ancient cereals, plant-based alternatives to packaged snack foods, beer made from leftover bread, and juices from plants such as cactus, are resource-intensive foods that are shocking and still delicious. What if consumers can make their current choices based on taste, preference and price, but believe their choices have a positive and sustainable impact?
In the past two years, through the global Big Food Redesign ChallengeWe have partnered with over 100 food manufacturers on three continents, from small startups to major industry leaders to create or transform products to make them sustainable from seeds to shelves. These innovative products demonstrate that partnerships with cross-sector and industry and philanthropy willing to make early-stage leading investments can produce food sustainably in ways that make people, the planet and the bottom line.
The concept of sustainability is familiar and is indeed appreciated by consumers and businesses. of $2.6 trillion American consumers spend about food every year 20% for sustainable products. But instead of focusing on making an element more sustainable, such as plastic-free packaging, we need to consider the environmental impact of the entire food system (from what ingredients are used, to how they are grown and procured, how they are shipped and made) to the materials that are packaged. Without a system-wide approach, the food industry will continue to be a significant contributor to global carbon emissions, an astonishing third of the global total.
The Schmidt Family Foundation and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation have previously worked with businesses to bring a cycle to consumer goods, from drinks to fashion. These efforts all require consideration of the entire system and how to improve it. To bring sustainability to every part of the food journey, businesses that engage in priorities priorities priorities priorities priorities priorities priorities priorities.
Diversified ingredients from a wide range of animal and plant species benefit soil health, build food supply flexibility, and keep food companies from relying on a single investment. Create a company with stable shelf Smoothies For example, powder seeks organic farms and works with them to use the lesser-known Indian apple banana, which is more disease-resistant than comparable ingredients. Cereals offer many diversification opportunities: one company’s Prepared Piraf Using Fonio, a drought-tolerant, gluten-free West African staple, its carbon footprint is 80% smaller than rice and 99% lower in water footprint.
Low-impact ingredients, such as Fonio, have fewer negative effects on nature and even actively “regenerate” properties. These ingredients can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity losses, and deforestation, and protect the long-term resilience of natural systems that we rely on food first. Meat selection in the challenge is sometimes increased by underutilization Seaweed Or replace plant products to reduce the carbon footprint of meat. For other products, Manufacturer Work closely with farmers to ensure that the product is regenerated.
Finally, the upgrade ingredients are derived from food that would otherwise be wasted or lost, reducing land pressure and maximizing the return on investments used to grow food. Products created through challenges include those from Oats harvest leftovers Give banana peels. The destined to be trash eventually leads to delicious beerand wrinkled peas, otherwise the peas wouldn’t bring it to market and grind and grind with whole meal flour pasta.
While circular products are important, we need to have built-in loops in the system itself. When eliminating waste, you will increase productivity and choices. Healthy food selection, source and market expansion. Farmers have a new way to make money: Perhaps most importantly, when you put nature first, you increase the long-term health of the soil, improve fertility and yield (which also leads to higher profits). Plants, animals and humans all benefit from a novel regeneration efficiency planned for the future and protect planetary resources in the form of conventional industrial food systems.
Systematic transformation requires all of us. We need bold leadership in business, decision makers and finance. Policy leverage, including legislation and regulations, can provide economic incentives to invest in the economic incentives needed to change the system. A small amount of target capital can accelerate innovation and product development. Strategic philanthropy can bring a pilot’s good idea to scale. Ultimately, manufacturers, retailers and consumers need to embrace and demand better options.
We provide resources for a rich and flexible food system. Let’s use them.
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