Future of Food Summit
- , Global
The Future of Food Summit brings together global leaders to explore how food systems can be transformed to deliver food security while balancing environmental sustainability and economic growth.
World Pulses Day
- , Global
World Pulses Day highlights the role of pulses in improving nutrition, supporting sustainable food systems, and strengthening livelihoods. Pulses are a key component of affordable, nutrient-dense diets and play an important role in addressing malnutrition, including micronutrient deficiencies and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) Explore GAIN’s insights on food fortification, diet quality, and nutrition-sensitive food systems, and check back for related content marking World Pulses Day.
Supporting Evidence-Based Food Decisions in Programmes: GAIN’s New Screening Tool for Nutrition, Food Safety, and Sustainability
Food choices play a dual role in shaping both human health and environmental sustainability. At the individual level, diets that lack diversity, fall short of essential nutrients, contain excessive amounts of foods high in sugar, unhealthy fats, and salt, or fail to meet food safety standards, and can have serious negative consequences for health (Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, 2025; World Health Organization, n.d.). At the same time, the ways food is produced and consumed affect the environment, —contributing to land degradation, freshwater depletion, climate change, and biodiversity loss (Crippa et al., 2021; Tilman et al., 2017). These environmental impacts, in turn, influence which foods are available, accessible, and affordable, and can alter the nutrient density of crops (Beach et al., 2019; Smith & Myers, 2018), reinforcing this close connection between our food choices and the environment.
Latest Review Series reveals USD 11 Trillion Bill in Food System’s Hidden Costs, a Significant Underestimation
Latest Review Series reveals USD 11 Trillion Bill in Food System’s Hidden Costs, a Significant Underestimation • A partial USD 11 trillion bill: According to FAO’s latest estimates, food systems cost the world over USD 11 trillion per year in hidden health, socioeconomic, and environmental burdens – an amount larger than the GDP of most major economies. However, this figure likely represents a substantial underestimation of true costs and benefits as it does not capture all relevant negative and positive impacts. • Health costs are the largest contributor, but micronutrient malnutrition remains invisible: Diet-related diseases, premature mortality, and productivity losses from illness are the biggest drivers of these costs, yet we are still failing to measure the true price of micronutrient malnutrition. • The equity crisis: Existing research and data are heavily skewed toward high-income countries, leaving the severe burdens in low- and middle-income nations largely hidden.
QUANTIFYING THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF FOOD A REVIEW OF TRUE COST ACCOUNTING METHODS
- 15/12/2025
Global food systems generate significant socio-economic impacts (or externalities) – both positive and negative – which greatly vary across geographic regions, supply chains, and production systems. These externalities, ranging from inadequate working conditions and child labour (negative) to job creation and community development (positive), are rarely reflected in market prices. True Cost Accounting (TCA) methodologies aim to advance traditional impact assessments by quantifying and economically valuing food systems' external benefits and costs – encompassing health, environmental, and socio-economic dimensions. However, consensus on measurement methods and metrics is lacking. We reviewed existing frameworks, approaches, methods, and data sources used for evaluating and monetising socio-economic externalities associated with food production and consumption. Our analysis of 24 publications (2008–2025) revealed a nascent field with limited evidence, characterised by a strong focus on negative impacts, individual foods or food groups (as opposed to whole diets), and primary production.
Belensesses Market — A Photo Story
In the heart of Nampula, an old market is shifting into something new and so are the lives within it. What began as an ordinary field visit became an unexpected turning point, captured through a lens that witnessed far more than change in bricks and sand. This photo story follows that quiet transformation: the people who have waited for it, the place that needed it, and the question that emerged and only later found its answer.
Harnessing AI to Transform the Fight Against Malnutrition
Billions of people worldwide are malnourished. Despite our best efforts, the cost of a healthy diet and food insecurity continue heading in the wrong direction. Without significant intervention, this crisis will persist—but we believe artificial intelligence (AI) represents a powerful new tool to help change that trajectory.
Have We Orphaned The Foods That Once Sustained Us
- 04/12/2025
Orphaned crops refer to a diverse group of foods, including cereals, legumes, vegetables, and fruits, that have been largely overlooked by mainstream agricultural research, breeding programs, and markets. Many orphan crops contain higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals, and protein than major cereals. In soci eties facing a double burden of undernutrition and rising diet-related diseases, orphaned crops provide a crucial bridge. They nourish without harming. Nutrition education in schools and public health programs can normalize the consumption of traditional foods, while media and culinary initiatives can make them fashionable. Changing perception is just as critical as changing production.
Quantifying The Environmental Impacts of Food A Review of True Cost Accounting Methods
- 28/11/2025
Global food systems face complex, multi-faceted challenges that greatly vary by context, and their environmental, health, and socio-economic impacts are equally diverse. A comprehensive understanding that integrates these disparate factors into unified, clear guidance is essential for decision-making, including policy measures and industry practices. True Cost Accounting (TCA) methodologies aim to meet this need by quantifying a wide spectrum of food systems-related benefits and costs in economic terms. We reviewed existing TCA frameworks, approaches, methods, and data sources used for measuring and monetising environmental externalities generated by food production and consumption. Our analysis of 85 recent publications (2018–2025) revealed several key patterns in current research. The literature shows a predominant focus on negative impacts, with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions receiving primary attention. Studies mainly examined cereals, meat, and dairy, mostly in high-income and upper-middle-income country settings. TCA assessments employed three main methodological approaches: granular bottom-up, large-scale top-down, or comparative approaches, to capture environmental externalities. Our results revealed a rapidly growing research area, characterised by a large variety of methods and data sources, while highlighting persistent technical challenges. The field faces several critical gaps, many of which reflect underlying methodological limitations in environmental impact assessments more broadly: little-to-no attention to lower-income countries; a predominant focus on high-value, commercially traded (often export-oriented) commodities; and limited consideration of systems dynamics and interconnections (e.g., product co-dependencies) in models. Addressing these challenges, combined with improved data availability, quality, and disaggregation, will be key for maximising TCA’s potential as an evidence-based policy and advocacy tool.