Researchers from the University of Sheffield’s Institute for
Sustainable Food are hosting national discussions about the sustainability of
global food systems today (Monday 14 March 2022) at the Royal Society in
London.
Institute hopes to bring together partners for a once in a lifetime opportunity to create a fairer and healthy food system for UkKey figures from the Institute, along with keynote speaker
Professor Guy Poppy, Director of UKRI's ‘Transforming UK food systems'
programme and former Chief Scientific Advisor to the Food Standards Agency,
will present how we can make changes to ensure our agri-food systems are more
sustainable, and develop the innovations that will allow us to live within the
limits of the natural world.
As discussed at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference
(COP26), food systems around the world are under unprecedented pressure. In a
context of the climate crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic, the imminent
challenges of feeding a growing population, tackling obesity and ending hunger
have become even more pressing
Professor Duncan Cameron, Co-Director of the Institute for
Sustainable Food, said: “Four months after COP26, where world leaders
gathered to discuss saving the planet, you would be forgiven for assuming it
was all a waste of time, but at the University of Sheffield we are putting
research into practice and working on the solutions we’ll need to keep our food
systems healthy for the future.”
“In a time of climate crisis, we desperately need to reduce
global carbon emissions, to restore nature and find ways to ensure the
sustainability of global water supplies. The need for sustainable food systems
that can ensure fair access for all to nutritious food is a critical need we
can no longer ignore.”
The event will bring together leading researchers and key
industry figures in the area of food sustainability to share ideas and
opportunities to collaborate. A screening of the new film, 'Healthy Soil,
Healthy Food, Healthy People', will also take place, which explores how the
research being carried out by the Institute relates to work in the field, with
farmers, landowners, schools and cities.
The film explores the work of the Institute, which aims to
create resilient and sustainable food systems through regenerative agriculture,
reclaiming unused land that can be used to produce food within local
communities, supporting local food initiatives, developing more sustainable
production systems, and improving the effectiveness of supply chains.
Keynote speaker and Director of UKRI's ‘Transforming UK food
systems' programme, Professor Guy Poppy, who will be attending virtually, said:
“The UK food system is making people and the planet sick. The way we produce
and consume food is intertwined with the major challenges of today and
tomorrow. The impacts of Covid-19 and climate change affect and have been
affected by the food system.
“We need to be ambitious and transform the current system to
be healthier and more sustainable, which will require everyone in complex
supply chains and those shaping policy, trading relationships and involved in
procurement to rise to the challenge - if we don't, then we and the planet will
get sicker. We have the ability and hopefully the enthusiasm and belief to act
now and not tomorrow.”
Co-Director of the University of Sheffield Institute for
Sustainable Food, Peter Jackson, said: “The UK’s food system is a major
contributor to climate change, biodiversity loss and depletion of our soil and
water resources. Creating a more sustainable, more resilient, and healthier
food system should be a priority for all.
“The Institute for Sustainable Food places the health of the
environment and the health of people at the core of its mission. By bringing
together businesses, civil society organisations and government partners, we
have a once in a lifetime opportunity to create a new food system for our
country, one that is kinder to the environment and fairer for everyone.”
