Empowering citizens to drive food system transformation

“It’s the food companies!” he says.
“It’s the government’s job to legislate,” she argues.
“It’s people’s own responsibility,” others shout.
“It’s the schools that need to educate,” another chimes in.
“And retailers should step up!” adds another voice.

Amidst all this noise, the question remains: where does the responsibility for our direly needed food system transformation sit?

Like most things, the answer isn’t straightforward, and maybe not even fully understood. Determining who is the problem here is not as interesting as figuring out who can be a part of the solution. My hypothesis is that it is actually the same group. I believe that the answer lies with all of us – governments, companies, retailers, schools, and citizens alike. It’s the entire food ecosystem: meaning everyone who has “more-than-average knowledge” of how the food systems work. 

What follows are my thoughts on how we got into this intricate mess of unsustainable food systems, and how we can find our way out.

Imagine you’re running late for a meeting. But you’re hungry, so you stop off at a shop for a quick bite. You want something healthy, but the options don’t make it easy.

• You feel like a quick sandwich but there are no healthy and tasty-looking options.
• That hummus looks delicious but, despite its excessive packaging it’s not ideal for eating on the run.
• There’s veggie pizza on the hot counter, but it’s probably pretty salty, fatty and lacking in fibre – and should you really be eating so much ready-made food?

Finally, you grab the chocolate bar at the checkout – something to tide you over until later in the day when you can sit down for a healthy, great-tasting meal.

This is the reality for so many people today. We have countless food options at our fingertips, yet making healthy and sustainable choices often feels out of reach. In Zurich, where I live, it is estimated that 40% of all meals are consumed outside the home, where they are outside of our full control.

The deadline for achieving the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) is quickly approaching. And you’re late for work. 

Were you in this scenario, what would you have chosen?

How did we get in this mess?

The challenges in our food systems didn’t appear overnight. They are the result of decades of decisions and developments, driven by necessity and followed by unintended consequences.

150 years ago we had approximately one billion people on Earth, 90% of which lived in severe poverty. With the Industrial Revolution, we transformed agriculture and food production, enabling mass production, medicine, and education. We took people out of poverty. Today, eight billion people live on Earth, with less than 10% living in extreme poverty. 

Feeding a rapidly growing population was a challenge. In the 1940s–1950s we turned to chemical fertilisers and pesticides and developed high-yield crop varieties as solutions, enabling higher yields and ensuring food security in the short term. We have never produced more food than we do today. 

But these innovations came at a cost. In return for yield and efficiency, we traded the health of our soils and significantly increased greenhouse gas emissions, mainly through intensive livestock production and farming. Over time, mass consumption and production became a status symbol and consuming more became a sign of prosperity.

Fast forward to today, and the cracks in the system are clear. We’re left with a food economy that externalises the environmental and human health costs of production, and a culture that has little choice but to favour “fast and cheap” over “healthy and sustainable.”

But we can reverse course.

Change is possible because our cumulative actions matter. That’s not to say we each need to go 100% vegan or vow to never make an unsustainable choice again. If eight billion people made small, manageable changes in their food choices, we could shift the tide far more effectively than relying on a few million people to live flawlessly sustainable lives.

So how do we empower citizens to make these changes? We must first understand what drives our decision making when it comes to the foods we eat every day.

What drives our decisions about food?

When we think about transforming food systems, it’s tempting to focus solely on innovation and systemic change. I believe that too often, we stop at the retail shelf. We forget that no matter how groundbreaking or exciting an innovation may be, it only drives impact if it’s embraced by citizens.

The reality is, we can’t – and in my opinion, don’t need to – make everyone a food system advocate. But we can put ourselves in people’s shoes and make an effort to understand their lives, values, and priorities. We need to meet people where they are. Food is deeply personal – rooted in culture and habit. If we want to drive change, we must make sustainable choices easy and desirable to citizens. 

So, what are the key factors influencing food choices today?

1. Taste: It’s the #1 driver of repeat food purchases. No matter how sustainable or healthy a product is, it won’t sell if it’s not appetising.
2. Price: Especially in a post-COVID world, affordability matters. Citizens are more price-sensitive than ever, and sustainable choices often come with a premium price tag. 
3. Convenience: People want healthier and more sustainable options, but they also need them to be accessible; easy to find and prepare.

The reality is that most people prioritise their immediate needs – like flavour and affordability  – over abstract goals like planetary health. To create real change, we must align incentives and make healthier and sustainable options the easy, tasty, affordable and obvious choice.

Research shows that change accelerates when roughly 25% of a population adopts a new behaviour. If we can make sustainable choices appealing to that critical mass, we can drive transformation at scale.

Where does change begin?

To transform our food systems, we must start by acknowledging the true costs embedded in the way we produce, process, and consume food today. We must consider not just production and processing costs, but impact costs as well: on human health, the environment, and even societal stability.

Consider these examples of disconnect:

The food we consider ‘cheap’ today, really isn’t so cheap after all. We are paying a premium price through our taxes, which are used to account for the true costs.

What if we invested even a fraction of these hidden costs, or negative externalities, upfront? By making healthy, sustainable food more affordable, appealing and available, we could reduce healthcare expenses, protect our ecosystems, and improve quality of life for citizens around the world. 

A win, win, win. 

Policy changes are the catalyst for this transformation 

When governments act, the effects ripple through the entire food ecosystem. Click on the examples below to find out more about how policy changes across the world are driving change.

Food service: meeting citizens where they are

Food service providers have a unique opportunity to introduce citizens to healthier and more sustainable choices in familiar, everyday settings.

• Take the ZFV-Living Lab.  ZFV is a Valley Partner that, through the ZFV Living Lab, creates a platform for practical test environments to facilitate market access. The Living Lab allows them to work with start-ups, companies and educational institutions to test innovative solutions for CO2 reduction in the food service sector.
  
• Projects like The Chefs’ Manifesto highlight how chefs can champion sustainable choices and make them irresistible through their expertise and creativity.
• The MICHELIN Green Star puts a spotlight on restaurants that are at the forefront of sustainable practices, many of which work directly with growers and fishermen and use regenerative methods.
• One Scottish university opted to remove meat from all campus catering menus, demonstrating how institutional decisions can influence citizen behavior to be less harmful to our environment. Others, such as Cambridge, soon followed.

Retail: the power of choice architecture

Retailers play a pivotal role in shaping dietary choices by creating what behavioural scientists call “choice architecture” – the number of options presented on retail shelves, the way in which these options are presented, and the presence of a default.

• Valley partner ALDI SUISSE partners with startups to test new sustainable products on its shelves, removing traditional barriers to entry and providing citizens with access to innovative options. 
• In Norway, retail initiatives like displaying carbon footprints on receipts have encouraged shoppers to think critically about their choices, leading to a decline in red meat demand and an increase in purchase of local fruit and vegetables.
• Consumers no longer need to pay extra for plant-based meat and dairy products in nearly all Dutch supermarkets. In fact, such options are now cheaper overall than conventional meat and dairy products.
• The Dutch government has also been working towards implementing a 0% VAT rate on fruits and vegetables, with some retailers agreeing to pass the full VAT savings onto consumers – though implementation has faced some challenges.

Retailers have numerous tools at hand to influence shopper decision making, including which products they choose to feature, shelf placement, marketing and magazine features, and a choice on which products they choose to have high margins on.

When food service and retail work together alongside the whole ecosystem to introduce citizens to new options, they help normalize these choices, effectively paving the way for broader adoption.

Ultimately, only appetising innovations have impact

To drive food system innovation we need to make healthier and more sustainable options more appealing. This means all actors in the food system – from governments to retailers – have a responsibility and role to play in introducing citizens to new options and empowering them to embrace them. We must work together to make healthier and more sustainable options not just available but desirable.

So, imagine the same scenario from earlier: you’re hungry and late for a meeting. You stop off at a shop for a quick bite. But this time, the story is different.

The government has implemented policies that align subsidies with sustainable practices, enabling farmers to supply affordable, high-quality ingredients. Manufacturers have used these ingredients to create delicious, plant-based wraps and snacks that are just as – if not more – affordable and convenient than less sustainable options. Retailers have placed these items front and center, making them easy to spot. 

Perhaps you’re even able to check your smart device – set to filter for the sustainability issues that matter most to you – to determine a product’s impact on animal welfare, micro-nutrient intake, carbon emissions, and so on.

And products are as mouthwatering and tasty as shown on the billboard advertising outside the store.

Tell me, what would you choose now?

This is the vision we must strive toward. By aligning incentives and focusing on taste, affordability, and accessibility, we can empower citizens to drive the food system transformation we so urgently need. Together, we can ensure that the sustainable choice becomes the easy and appetising choice for all.

If you’re reading this, you probably play an empowering role somewhere in our food system. Make sure your 2025 plan includes fulfilling that role in the best way you’re able.

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