Food & Drink
Diet & identity
Veganuary can transform attitudes and self-identity related to meat consumption.
14 January 2025
A new report published by The Food Foundation warns that if we fail to address biodiversity loss now, it will only lead to much higher economic costs down the line.
The report demonstrates that nature and biodiversity loss are no longer ‘tomorrow’s problem’; it brings together evidence showing that as well as contributing to biodiversity loss, our food system and supply chains are also vulnerable to its impacts.
One study shows that a 30% decline in UK pollinator populations over 10 years would cost nearly £200 million a year in lost crop yields.
The Food Foundation says these trends can no longer be ignored by the food industry and is calling on investors to play their part in safeguarding nature and biodiversity through their corporate stewardship and financing activities.
The food system is a major driver of nature and biodiversity loss as a result of issues such as deforestation (as forests are cleared to make way for agricultural expansion, animal grazing and feed production) and industrial farming of livestock (leading to water and air pollution through run-off waste, antibiotics and hormones as well as emissions of ammonia and methane).
These actions are weakening nature’s productivity, resilience and ability to adapt, posing major risks to economic stability and competitiveness, national security, food security and human wellbeing.
Ironically, the agriculture sector is almost entirely dependent on natural capital for its continued viability, and so will suffer if farming methods and consumption patterns aren’t adapted to preserve and restore the natural environment.
Shifting to more plant-rich diets in the UK could make a real difference, reducing by 58% the projected number of species projected to become extinct over the next 100 years as a result of what we are eating.
‘Nature and biodiversity loss are particularly acute material financial risks for the food system. If we are to have a healthy population who can help grow our economy, we need access to healthy and sustainable foods, especially from fruit, veg, beans and other plant-rich sources. And yet fruit and vegetable supply chains are highly vulnerable to climate shocks, as recent fresh produce shortages have illustrated.
‘Rethinking what we eat and how we produce food has the potential to mitigate the harm current food systems are having on the environment, as well as unlocking significant benefits for public health and the economy.’
BARONESS WALMSLEY
Honorary ambassador to the Investor Coalition on Food Policy and chair of the House of Lords Committee on Food, Diet and Obesity
PwC research shows that over half the world’s GDP is moderately or highly dependent on nature. Yet biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate, with extinction rates 100 to 1,000 times above natural levels – and rising.
In the UK alone, nature loss is projected to reduce GDP growth by between 6% and 12% in the 2030s, which would be a decline greater than that caused by the 2008 financial crisis or the Covid-19 pandemic.
‘Over the last few years, increasing attention has been paid by investors to the nature and biodiversity impacts of the food system, with the recognition of the need for an urgent shift towards more sustainable and healthier diets. Since all of us are dependent on food production and consumption for our very survival, by extension the viability and prosperity of the whole economy – and not just investors in food businesses – is dependent on efficient and sustainable management of natural capital. How we move our food system to one that is healthier and more sustainable is something business leaders, investors and policymakers alike should be thinking about and taking urgent action on.’
SARAH BUSZARD
Responsible Investor Engagement lead
Veganuary can transform attitudes and self-identity related to meat consumption.
Engaging a new generation of agricultural professionals is critical to Europe’s farming future.
Soil Association Certification’s Paige Tracey sets out the differences between organic and regenerative agriculture.
More than 1,700 farms on the edges of towns and cities have disappeared since 2010.
