Using an integrated assessment modelling framework, this study finds that under current trends, most social and environmental targets related to the Chinese food system are not aligned with the UN 2030 Agenda. Bundling policies addressing public health, environmental sustainability and livelihood improvement can minimize trade-offs, revealing the importance of coordinated strategies for achieving a sustainable food system.

Misreporting of dietary intake under free-living conditions in nutritional epidemiological studies can’t be easily captured. A predictive equation for total daily energy expenditure derived from the largest doubly labelled water dataset to date can help improve evaluation of the accuracy of self-reported dietary intake.

An analysis of state-level food waste policy data shows that a shift away from food waste recycling towards prevention, rescue and repurposing is needed to support targets to halve food waste in the United States by 2030.

Global access to international food markets is still unequal and driven by trade and non-trade frictions. A new global cost analysis of the trade of grains highlights the importance of different cost components and their implications for exposure to price shocks and suggests strategies to improve market access.

As agrifood systems contribute considerably to global greenhouse gas emissions, policies targeting greenhouse gas reductions must navigate the distributional and dynamic implications of induced food price effects. Marketing margins can buffer consumer prices from production cost increases, but those effects vary across countries in ways that complicate the political economy of corrective policy.

To address the view that degrowth and the food system are not well aligned, this Perspective offers concrete practical actions to integrate the two, thereby widening the narrative and analytical lens of social–ecological transformation.

Safe and reliable cell sources are essential for cultivated meat production. This Perspective explores approaches from fields using similar technologies and pre-market dossiers to address food safety issues associated with scale-up and commercial viability.

Almost half of all fruits and vegetables are wasted annually. A low-cost sticker for use on the skin of fruit, based on plasmonics and sub-terahertz spectroscopy, can accurately predict fruit ripeness and could contribute towards reducing food loss and waste.

Heat stress threatens human and livestock well-being in pastoral and agropastoral production systems across Africa. This Perspective explores the challenges, potential adaptations and future pathways for these food systems in the coming decades.

Reductions in meat consumption require dietary shifts and structural changes to our food system. Yet, a simple measure such as reducing the size of meat portions can already have an impact — and may help kick-off a longer-term shift.

Effective nitrogen management at the local scale, through targeted practices, can enhance agricultural sustainability. However, it also necessitates consideration of climate change and socio-economic transformations.

Proteomic signatures associated with healthy dietary patterns can link diets to disease outcomes. Yet, it is unclear what information can be obtained through the development of proteomic signatures, how they can be used to elucidate the mechanisms linking dietary patterns to disease outcomes and whether they have utility in predicting and preventing diet-related diseases.

Switching pig and chicken production from extensive to intensive production systems, particularly in low- and middle-income regions, could mitigate negative environmental impacts while simultaneously improving food security.

A data-driven synthesis demonstrates the positive impact of nanomaterials in boosting crop yields while reducing heavy metal accumulation and identifies the key factors influencing their efficacy.

Evidence from crop–soil systems shows that potassium limitation poses a critical challenge in Southeast Asia, impacting crop yields, quality and soil health. Addressing this is vital to closing cereal yield gaps and enhancing food security.

Technological advancements are needed before cultivated meat can supply dietary protein at a competitive cost and with lower environmental impacts than livestock production. This Review explores how techno-economic analyses can guide research towards providing sustainable scaled-up cultivated beef production.

Engaging with people’s realities is key to the success of policies and interventions aimed at achieving better diets for all. Drawing on social practice theory, this Perspective proposes a tool—the full picture—to help researchers, practitioners and policymakers think through the full range of people’s interacting realities that shape the impact of policies and interventions designed to improve diets.

The social impacts of food supply chains on people, animals and communities need to be integrated into sustainable dietary transformations. Here the social dimension of sustainable diets is defined and explored through case studies. Solutions are proposed to support just dietary transformations.

The bioaccumulation of methylmercury in fish and its biomagnification through the food chain is a major public health concern. Differences in fish methylmercury concentration observed between China and the United States highlight the need for a better understanding of region-specific factors that drive its formation and biological uptake.

Fish consumption is a major route of human exposure to mercury. Now, an analysis suggests that human activities have an important role in shaping geographic variations in total mercury and methylmercury concentrations in fish. Although managing mercury contamination is a global issue, local policies are important for more effective mercury management.