Episode summary
What do Yorkshire beaches, Sierra Leone’s new food strategy, and New York City school lunches have in common? For Corinna Hawkes, they all shaped her journey toward understanding how systems shape food. In this episode, we trace her path from a childhood fascination with shifting sands to her current role at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. Along the way, we ask: what does it actually mean to ‘take a systems approach’ to food? What type of leadership skills are needed to fix food systems today? And why do the best solutions sometimes require slowing down, not speeding up?
Read the report
FAO’s new report on transforming agrifood systems, Transforming Food and Agriculture Through a Systems Approach (2025) offers a practical framework for joined-up action.
About Corinne Hawkes
Dr. Corinna Hawkes is the Director of United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) Division of Food Systems and Food Safety, spearheading integrated approaches to address nutrition, sustainability, and food security globally. Previously, she served as the Director of the Centre for Food Policy at City, University of London, where she developed policy tools like the influential NOURISHING Framework. An expert in food systems transformation, she has held leadership roles in multiple international initiatives including the Global Nutrition Report and the EAT–Lancet Commission, and has advised UN agencies, governments, and NGOs.
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