Professor Tim Lang reflects on the crises facing food systems locally, nationally and globally, including obesity and overweight, the Ukraine war, diet-related inequalities, declines in biodiversity, and volatile food prices. In this blog for the Food Research Collaboration, he points to reasons to be hopeful: that pressure is building on governments to produce coherent food policy; that the UK has an active movement of food researchers and NGOs; and that the belief that markets alone can resolve the food system’s challenges is growing weaker.

In April 2022, 7.3 million adults in the UK either had smaller meals or skipped meals, did not eat despite being hungry, or did not eat for a whole day because they could not afford or access food, according to new data from The Food Foundation. The number of people affected is higher than in January 2022, with The Food Foundation attributing the rise in food insecurity to rising food prices as well as higher energy bills, petrol prices and inflation (7% as of March 2022).

“Hidden hunger” - sufficient calorie intake coupled with micronutrient deficiencies - is a widespread global problem, according to this article from Food Unfolded. The authors discuss innovations that combat iron malnutrition, including newer more tolerable forms of iron supplementation, multi-micronutrient powders that can be sprinkled onto ready-to-eat foods, and biofortification of staple food crops.

Populations of many large mammals in Europe have recovered dramatically over the past few decades, according to this piece from Our World in Data. Between 1960 and 2013, numbers of Eurasian beavers have increased by 14,000%; European bison by 3000%; wild boar by 350%; and grey wolf by 300%; many other mammals have also made rebounds. The piece attributes the gains to restrictions on hunting; breeding and reintroduction programmes; and to decreasing farmland extent in Europe, enabled by high agricultural productivity.

This book outlines the history of agricultural policy in the US from its colonial roots to the present, and uses economic concepts to interpret the political and economic consequences. It also discusses shocks such as trade wars and the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this book, environmentalist George Monbiot explores how we can feed everyone while using less land. He speaks to farmers and scientists using new methods to grow food, including perennial grains, farming without ploughing, and precision fermentation of protein and fat.

This research brief from the Centre for Food Policy summarises which government departments in Australia are responsible for food policy. An infographic shows the role of each of 11 departments that have a connection to food.

Governments must act now to make societies and economies more resilient to shocks such as COVID-19 and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, argues this report from UK-based international affairs think tank Chatham House. The Russia-Ukraine crisis is amplifying food insecurity and the cost of living crisis that had already followed the COVID-19 pandemic, and risks triggering a “cascade” of supply chain disruptions, market volatility, resource insecurity, the displacement of people and geopolitical upheaval. The potential for simultaneous price or supply shocks in food and energy, including those induced by climate change, is growing.

Researchers from the University of Manchester argue that the widespread switch to remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated how academia can function in the future without flying, to reduce carbon emissions. They set out recommendations on how to retain low levels of aviation, including combining necessary trips, supporting cultural changes by improving virtual methods of working, and considering using carbon budgets for travel.