LIVESTREAM - Annual Conference

Our annual conference comes at a time when food systems around the world are facing unprecedented challenges. Climate change, biodiversity loss and pressure on natural resources are occurring alongside geopolitical instability, concerns about food security and food system resilience, and persistently high levels of diet-related ill health.

Against this backdrop, there is an urgent need to ensure that the foods we produce and consume support both human and planetary health. The challenge is not simply to feed a growing population, but to do so in ways that are healthy, sustainable, equitable and resilient.

There is growing international recognition that food systems must evolve to address interconnected challenges relating to human health, environmental sustainability, food security and social equity. Globally, progress towards ending hunger and malnutrition remains uneven, while many countries face a triple burden of undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and obesity.

While these challenges are global in nature, the actions needed to address them must reflect national circumstances. In the UK, efforts to promote healthy and sustainable diets need to take account of our particular public health challenges, food production systems, patterns of food consumption, supply chains and the affordability of food for consumers.

In the UK, dietary recommendations and nutrition education have traditionally focused on supporting health and preventing disease. As the environmental impacts of food systems become increasingly important, there is growing interest in how sustainability considerations can be integrated alongside nutrition, while ensuring that dietary advice remains evidence-based, practical and nutritionally robust.

Adherence to our current UK healthy eating model, the Eatwell Guide, has been shown to benefit both population health outcomes and environmental footprint. However, fewer than 1% of the population meet all of the guide's recommendations, suggesting significant opportunities to improve dietary patterns in ways that benefit both human and planetary health.

While discussions about food systems often focus on the challenges we face, there are also significant opportunities to build healthier, more sustainable and more resilient food systems for the future. Innovation in food production, agriculture, product development and nutrition science has the potential to support diets that are both healthier and more sustainable. However, no single solution will be enough. Progress will require collaboration across the food system, bringing together researchers, policymakers, educators, farmers, food manufacturers, retailers and consumers.

Over recent years, discussions about sustainable diets have rightly drawn attention to the environmental impacts of food production, particularly greenhouse gas emissions and the role of different protein sources. These are important considerations, but they are only part of the picture. Sustainability is about more than carbon, and healthy diets are about more than protein.

Future food systems must be capable of delivering nutrient-dense diets that provide the energy, protein, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients needed to support health throughout life. Encouraging greater consumption of vegetables, fruits, wholegrains, legumes, nuts and seeds can play an important role in achieving both health and environmental objectives.

At the same time, consideration must be given to nutrients such as iron, calcium, iodine, zinc and vitamin B12, which can already be inadequate in vulnerable population groups and may be affected by shifts in dietary patterns. Advances in agriculture, food science and technology offer significant opportunities to improve the nutritional quality, sustainability and accessibility of foods, helping to support healthier diets while reducing environmental impacts.

At the British Nutrition Foundation, we believe that future food systems should be designed to support both human and planetary health. Nutritional quality and nutrient density should sit alongside environmental considerations when assessing foods and dietary patterns. We also recognise that affordability, accessibility and cultural preferences are critical. Diets cannot be considered truly sustainable if they are beyond the reach of large sections of society. Delivering healthier and more sustainable diets will require innovation, collaboration and a whole-system approach that brings together research, policy, agriculture, industry and public health.

This briefing brings together perspectives from leading experts participating in the British Nutrition Foundation Annual Conference, Beyond Protein and Carbon: Delivering Nutrient-Dense Diets for People and Planet. Together, these perspectives highlight both the challenges and opportunities ahead and explore how evidence, innovation and collaboration can help shape healthier, more sustainable and more resilient food systems for future generations.