How we produce and consume food is the single biggest threat to nature today. It’s a major driver of the emergence of infectious diseases, unhealthy diets are the biggest cause of non-communicable diseases and 1.9 billion people are obese or overweight. At the same time, we waste one third of all the food produced, and all the natural resources that went into its production, but nearly 700 million people go hungry every day.

The problems are clear. We all need to eat but our current food systems are putting an impossible strain on the planet. We must make radical changes. By improving production efficiency and restoring and reusing farmland, we can keep forests standing and reduce the impact on rivers and oceans – helping to restore wildlife populations and protect the livelihoods of many millions of people. By changing our consumption patterns and providing access to nutritious food for all, we tackle all forms of malnutrition. By tackling food loss and waste, we can ensure that every calorie counts, making a real difference to climate change and protecting life on our planet.

WWF wants to see food systems which protect and conserve nature while providing everyone with nutritious food, now and in the future. We are focusing on three key outcomes by 2030:

• Half of the area used for agriculture and aquaculture is sustainably managed, with no new areas being converted
• Global food waste is halved and post-harvest loss is reduced
• Human and planetary health are aligned to halve the global footprints of diets

WWF wishes to convene stakeholders from across the food system and integrate decisions that will ensure human and planetary health. Together, we have the power to bring food to the top of conservation, climate and development agendas and help deliver tangible results which protect our future. We must work more closely, and across sectors, to accelerate our action and raise awareness of the need for change.