This report from UK NGO Eating Better offers guidance for local authorities on how to source and serve healthier, more sustainable meals, for example in schools. It focuses on meat and dairy and proposes a 25% reduction in the amount of meat (of all types) and dairy served by local authorities, as well as sourcing 25% of meat and dairy served from “better” production systems. “Better” in this case means farming that uses lower levels of antibiotics, emphasises local feed sources and promotes animal welfare. The higher costs of “better” meat and dairy can be offset by increased use of vegetables and plant protein.

This paper quantifies the greenhouse gas mitigation potential, cost and feasibility of land-based climate measures such as forest protection, carbon sequestration through agriculture, bioenergy, reducing food waste and shifting to healthy sustainable diets. Across 250 countries and regions, the paper finds that cost-effective measures (defined as those costing up to $100/tCO2eq.) could mitigate 8–13.8 GtCO2eq yr−1 between 2020 and 2050. For context, emissions from Agriculture, Forestry and other Land Uses (AFOLU) were ~12 GtCO2eq yr−1 between 2007 and 2016.

This book, which is being released in its third edition, offers a critical examination of the food system through the lenses of gender, ethnicity and poverty. This edition includes a new chapter on sustainable diets and ethical consumption.

This report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations argues that Indigenous Peoples must be included in debates on the future of the global food system, such as the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit, and that Indigenous Peoples’ food systems are in many ways aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

This discussion paper from UN Nutrition examines the role that livestock can play in contributing to nutrition, particularly for young children and in low-income settings, and the impacts of livestock on the environment. It aims to go beyond blanket messages about livestock-derived food and instead provide a nuanced overview of how the role of livestock in sustainable healthy diets depends on local context and specific production methods. It concludes that some groups of people - such as those already eating high levels of livestock-derived foods - could improve both health and environmental impacts by reducing their consumption.

This short film from the Consumer Council explores the difficulties that low-income households in Northern Ireland face in accessing healthy and affordable food, particularly with the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. It features parents, academics and people working in local communities.

This free online book explores how consumers, nations, and international organisations can work together to improve food systems and restore ecosystems and their ability to provide for people.

This report from UK NGO Eating Better finds that 80% of UK public sector caterers surveyed  - including schools, healthcare and universities - have committed to reducing meat content in their menus, with 83% increasing the amount of beans and pulses they offer. 60% have been using more meat replacement products, 60% said they were using less pork and processed meat, and 56% said they were reducing or removing meat-based dishes from the menu cycle. Over 20% of caterers say they are using more chicken in their dishes. The changes are attributed primarily to concerns about climate, health, nature and animal welfare. 

This report from the UN Environment Programme synthesises evidence on the degradation of the world’s ecosystems, sets out the economic, environmental and social benefits of ecosystem restoration, and calls for individuals and organisations to contribute - including by reducing food waste, using farmland more efficiently, and encouraging a shift towards more plant-based diets.