The paper, co-authored by TABLE member Rebecca St. Clair, reviews the literature on business models in the seafood sector (covering both fisheries and aquaculture) and draws links between the principles of circular economy and resilience through a new Circular Economy Resilience Framework for Business Models (CERF-BM). It hypothesises that seafood businesses could increase their resilience (i.e. the ability to keep functioning despite external shocks and pressures) by using circular economy principles.

On 11 May 2021, TABLE and LEAP facilitated a dialogue between Ken Giller (Wageningen University) and Yichao Rui (Rodale Institute) on the topic of Regenerative Agriculture. We asked: why is it taking the world by storm and what are the broader implications for farmers and food systems?

Prof Simon Bush, Chair of the Environmental Policy Group at Wageningen University, has written an opinion piece critically reflecting on the Netflix documentary Seaspiracy and its argument that we should stop eating fish to protect ocean ecosystems. Bush queries some of the factual claims of the film, including statements about whether fish stocks will collapse by 2048, the fraction of fish that is illegally caught and the presence of pollutants in fish. He argues that seafood is an essential source of nutrition for billions of people, including many of the poorest people.

NGOs have warned in an open letter to state leaders that 34 million people are currently at risk of famine, with many more experiencing hunger. The letter says “These people are not starving, they are being starved” and points to drivers including violence, inequality, the impacts of climate change, loss of land or jobs, and the impacts of COVID-19. They call for $5.5 billion to be provided to support immediate food assistance.

This book explains how True Cost Accounting - i.e. the practice of tallying up all of the environmental and social costs and benefits associated with the production of a good or service - can be used to reform the food system.

This report by the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition presents a “Double Pyramid” of food systems, which aims to illustrate eating styles that are both healthy and environmentally sustainable. The model (view it here) uses a “health” pyramid and a “climate pyramid”. In both, foods are placed vertically according to whether it is advised to eat them more frequently (towards the bottom of the pyramids) or less frequently (towards the top of the pyramids).

This rapid evidence review from CCAFS Low-Emissions Development assesses the performance of agroecological approaches in low- and middle- income countries. Based on over 10,000 studies, it finds that agroecological practices such as farm diversification, agroforestry and organic agriculture can help low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in both mitigating and adapting to climate change through their food systems.

This report from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) explores what the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and government responses mean for the effort to transform food systems to be more healthy and sustainable. 

This paper co-authored by Table member Toni Meier quantifies the levels, environmental impacts and reduction potential of food waste produced in the business, healthcare and hospitality food service subsectors in Germany. It finds that significant waste reductions could be achieved within one year, with the greatest potential reduction of 17% being found in the healthcare subsector.