Three Barriers Blocking the Shift to a Healthy Global Food System: UN Report

Despite its vital role in sustaining life, the global food system continues to undermine health, biodiversity, and climate goals, a new UN report warns.

A new report released today by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and UK-based think tank Chatham House identifies three major barriers obstructing the transition to a sustainable global food system: the dominance of the “cheaper food” paradigm, market consolidation, and entrenched investment paths.

The report, titled Unlocking Sustainable Transition for Agribusiness, urges a coordinated effort from governments, financial institutions, the private sector, and civil society to dismantle these systemic obstacles. It comes ahead of the UN Food Systems Summit +4 Stocktaking Moment (UNFSS+4), set to take place from July 27 to 29 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and co-hosted with Italy. The meeting follows the original UN Food Systems Summit held in 2021.

“With the Global Biodiversity Framework, governments have already pledged to reduce subsidies that harm nature and pollution from agrochemicals, and to protect at least 30% of land and sea,” said Doreen Robinson, Deputy Director of UNEP’s Ecosystems Division. “Yet the food system continues to drive the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Unlocking agribusiness’ potential, as this report shows, is key to building a more sustainable and equitable food system.”

A Broken System with Hidden Costs

Despite feeding billions, the global food system is failing on multiple fronts. Over 800 million people go hungry each day, while approximately 30% of food is lost or wasted between harvest and consumption. Poor diets are linked to one in five premature deaths worldwide. Meanwhile, the system’s hidden costs—including environmental damage and public health impacts—are estimated to total as much as US$20 trillion annually.

At the heart of this crisis lies agribusiness: the capital- and input-intensive model of food production that dominates today’s industrial agricultural value chains. Large agribusinesses and investors hold enormous power and potential to transform food production and consumption at scale, yet the system remains locked into unsustainable practices.

The Three “Lock-Ins” Preventing Change

The report identifies three interlocking barriers:

The Cheaper Food Paradigm

Current policies and subsidies prioritize producing food at the lowest possible cost, regardless of long-term damage to the environment or human health. This encourages overconsumption, food waste, and poor dietary quality. The report calls for regulatory reforms and public investment in sustainable practices that internalize these hidden costs.

Market Concentration

A handful of powerful corporations dominate agricultural markets, limiting competition and innovation. This consolidation reduces farmers’ bargaining power, narrows consumer choice, and entrenches harmful practices.

Investment Path Dependencies

Decades of investment have locked food systems into models that prioritize efficiency, sales growth, and dependency on proprietary seeds, agrochemicals, and digital technologies—often controlled by a few large firms. These models are increasingly at odds with environmental and social sustainability goals.

A Call for Systemic Reform

To unlock sustainable transformation, the report recommends overhauling standards and tax policies to reflect the true environmental and health costs of food production. This includes redirecting harmful subsidies, increasing transparency, investing in public agricultural research, and incentivizing practices that improve soil health, cut emissions, and promote healthier diets.

Crucially, the report notes that consumers have a role to play. Citizen-led movements are increasingly pushing for greater accountability in agribusiness, demanding healthier, more sustainable food and transparency in production practices. These actions can help drive market shifts toward regenerative agriculture and low-impact food alternatives.

The report envisions a future in which agricultural machinery and inputs are less reliant on fossil fuels, food comes from diverse, resilient landscapes rather than monocultures, and animal-based foods are produced with high animal welfare and low environmental impact—or replaced with innovative plant-based and cultivated alternatives.

Ultimately, UNEP argues, the transformation of global agribusiness could turn the food system into a force that protects rather than depletes human health, ecosystems, and the climate.