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Food systems

Summary

Healthy and sustainable diets are essential for planetary health.  Poor diets are a leading cause of ill health and death globally, and the food system is responsible for between 20% and 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

On-going environmental changes is also having a direct impact on food production. Yields of cereals, vegetables and legumes, and fruits, nuts and seeds are projected to decline substantially in the coming decades as a result of increasing temperature, reduced rainfall, increased ozone and increased salinity. Without substantial efforts to adapt to the new environmental conditions, the food system will struggle to deliver healthy and sustainable diets for all. The consequences for public health, national food security and social stability (including migration) are largely unknown but may well be significant. 

We research both the impact of the food system on the environment and the effect that the changing environment is having on the food system. We seek to generate evidence that will support policy makers to identify solutions that will deliver healthy and sustainable diets for all.

Feeding the 10 Billion Professor Alan Dangour

Alan
Professor Alan Dangour is pioneering a new approach at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to examine the impact of our changing diet on population health and on the planet itself.