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Institute for Future Food Systems

@iffs-earth.bsky.social
124 followers 89 following 55 posts

Transforming food systems through the leading science and solutions. Because how we eat shapes everything.

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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Food can be a pretty big ally! And it's the movement's biggest blind spot.
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Shifting half of Canada's red and processed meat to plant proteins: +8.7 months of life, -25% diet emissions, most of it from what you add. Personal swaps matter but stay above the climate boundary, so supply and institutions matter too. www.nature.com/articles/s43...
nature.com
Partial substitutions of animal with plant protein foods in Canadian diets have synergies and trade-offs among nutrition, health and climate outcomes - Nature Food
Canada’s Food Guide recommends greater consumption of plant protein foods, but replacing animal with plant protein sources might have important consequences. Based on actual food intake values, this s...
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Reposted by Institute for Future Food Systems
Nicholas D Carter @nicholasdcarter.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
The science shows regenerative grazing simply doesn't work And I get it, it's a captivating well funded story ($200M from McD's otw), and it's easier to convince many that small tweaks are all that's needed vs. actual systemic changes away from beef 🧵here's 8+ reasons why this won't make beef eco
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
And yet few have made the connection between the food system and the warming, especially relying on animals to inefficiently feed ourselves. We also need to optimize the language we use to cover climate change. potentialenergycoalition.org/fixingclimat...
potentialenergycoalition.org
Climate Change Communications: Research & Insights
Climate communications research from Potential Energy Coalition reveals which climate change communication strategies move people to act. Read the report.
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Everyone is talking about AI's water use. AI data centres are projected to consume ~1 trillion litres a year by 2028. Livestock already consumes ~228 trillion litres. Around 200x more, and more than 90% of it goes to feed. #WorldWaterWeek
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Animal products account for 27% of humanity's total water footprint. All the water we use at home: about 4%. Per gram of protein, cheese tops the chart for freshwater withdrawals. Peas and pulses sit at the bottom. #WorldWaterWeek
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
If all Earth's water fit in a 1L bottle, accessible freshwater from rivers and lakes would be a single drop. UN scientists say we've entered an era of "global water bankruptcy." This week we look at a top driver: the food system. #WorldWaterWeek
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
In July's digest, the evidence points at two absences: what is missing from diets, and what is missing from policy. Findings from 12 key studies and reports related to food systems. iffs.earth/studies-and-...
iffs.earth
Studies and Reports of the Month: July 2026
This month the evidence points at two absences: what is missing from diets, and what is missing from policy. Underconsumption drives 63% of diet-related life loss in Germany, and youth plant intake…
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Full post with top actions for policymakers: www.linkedin.com/posts/iffs-e...
linkedin.com
World Zoonoses Day | Institute for Future Food Systems
In 1918 an avian flu killed around 50 million people, close to 3% of everyone alive at the time. The same share of today's population would be more than 200 million deaths. For decades, public health...
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Humanity's deadliest pandemic was a bird flu. In 1918 it killed around 50 million people, close to 3% of everyone alive. That would be 200+ million people today. The next one will most likely come from industrial farming. And, compounded by antibiotic resistance, that risk is accelerating.
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Our May digest of key studies and reports is up! iffs.earth/studies-and-...
iffs.earth
Studies and Reports of the Month: May 2026
This month: individual agency and structural change are partners, not rivals. The choices with the most reach are the ones people make in their professional, institutional, and civic roles, and the…
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
See our LinkedIn or Instagram post for the sources and methodology note. www.linkedin.com/posts/iffs-e...
linkedin.com
Planetary Diet vs Consumption Around the World | Institute for Future Food Systems
What does a diet that protects both health and the planet look like? 🌍🥦 We compared dietary data across 12 countries against the updated EAT-Lancet Planetary Health Diet. Built by more than 70 resea...
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
The takeaway: the gap is built, not chosen. Closing it takes change on both supply and demand. Getting this right could prevent up to 15M premature deaths a year and cut food-system emissions by more than half.
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
On one plate (Canada): 3x the red meat, 2x the dairy, a fifth of the legumes. And the big shift to chicken has a catch: lower carbon, but more confined animals and rising risks of antibiotic resistance and pandemics (90%+ of chickens are intensively farmed)
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Now the "eat more" side, and it's bleak nearly everywhere: Legumes: all 12 countries fall short, the biggest protein gap in the data. Whole grains: only Ethiopia eats enough. Vegetables: only China.
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Dairy: high-income countries run about double the target. The low numbers across much of Asia and Africa reflect biology and culture (most adults can't fully digest milk), not a gap to close.
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Red meat first. 10 of 12 countries eat more than the Planetary Diet limit, some 5x over. China tops it, but that's a pork story: EAT-Lancet counts pork as red meat, and these are unprocessed-meat figures. Fresh pork dominates China's intake.
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Two things show up almost everywhere: 🚨 Too much red meat and dairy wherever people can afford it. 🌱 Far too few plants, legumes, and whole grains almost everywhere. This isn't just about individual choice. It's an infrastructure problem.
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
What does a diet that protects both your health and the planet look like? Almost no one is eating it yet. We checked dietary data from 12 countries against the EAT-Lancet Planetary Health Diet. The pattern is strikingly universal. 🧵👇
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Reposted by Institute for Future Food Systems
Nicholas D Carter @nicholasdcarter.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Thrilled to share 4 new analyses of mine for @projectdrawdown.bsky.social on grazing Many studies that claim grazing benefits SOC are lacking: adequate baseline, controls, duration, 30cm soil-depth samples, & measuring over time And beef remains a leader in CH4 & land-use driving biodiversity loss
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Our April issue of Studies & Reports of the Month is online. A throughline runs through this month's ten papers: the structures around us shape diets as much as individual knowledge or willpower. iffs.earth/studies-and-...
iffs.earth
Studies and Reports of the Month: April 2026
51% of Europeans want to eat better, yet habit and budget still decide what reaches the plate. Japan’s red meat consumption runs at 569% of recommended levels. 98% of the environmental claims…
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
The global food system generates $42 billion *per day* in costs - more than it contributes to the economy. ​ Transforming the system costs $200-500B/year - less than 3% of the damage. Dietary change in HICs (reducing ultra-processed & animal-sourced foods) delivers most of the benefit.
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
How food industry funding shapes nutrition science has barely been studied. What exists shows severe distortion. In 44 beef and heart disease trials, for example, zero industry-funded studies found unfavorable results, and zero independent studies found favorable ones (López-Moreno et al. 2025).
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
Thousands of studies examine how pharma funding biases drug research. How many examine food industry funding of nutrition research? As of 2018, eleven (Nestle, 2019). A comprehensive review since found industry-sponsored studies are 30x more likely to report results favoring the sponsor (NAS, 2023).
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
14. The digest also includes headlines on news across markets, industry and health and nutrition. iffs.earth/wp-content/u...
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
13. Sixty-five companies are quietly blending plant protein into conventional meat products, reducing beef content by 30-50% while cutting costs and maintaining consumer satisfaction. Food System Innovations (Industry report) static1.squarespace.com/static/673fa...
static1.squarespace.com
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
12. Food causes 17% of household emissions in San Mateo County (CA) but appears in only 3 of 19 Climate Action Plans - staff simply don't know where to start. This report's progression model is worth replicating. Sustainable San Mateo County Indicators Report sustainablesanmateo.org/home/indicat...
sustainablesanmateo.org
2025 Indicators Report: Local Food Actions for a Cooler Future | Sustainable San Mateo County
SSMC Programs include Indicators Report, Awards, Sustainability Ideas Bank and Advocacy
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
11. Global finance flows harming nature outpace those protecting it by 33:1. IPBES’ report, approved by 150 governments, confirms that agriculture is among the sectors doing the most damage. Voluntary action won't close the gap. Jones et al. (IPBES Secretariat) DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.15369060
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
10. Groundbreaking analysis finds that EU subsidies directed 580x more money to beef and lamb than to legumes in 2020, with animal foods capturing 77% of the entire CAP budget. CAP subsidies accounted for 96% of beef & lamb producer income. Foodrise Policy Report foodrise.eu/wp-content/u...
foodrise.eu
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
9. Converting all 1.5 billion ha of global cropland to conservation agriculture, the authors argue, is the most scalable, ready-to-deploy agricultural practice for returning to within planetary boundaries. Rockstrom et al. (Global Sustainability) DOI: 10.1017/sus.2025.10045
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
8. Willingness to reduce meat consumption didn't vary by age, income, or education in the United Arab Emirates, suggesting redesigning food environments will create more impact than awareness campaigns. Cheikh Ismael et al. (Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems) DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2026.1622234
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
7. Nearly half of US adults don't know processed meat is classified in the same cancer-risk category as tobacco. Once aware, 64% support warning labels. PCRM / Morning Consult National survey (n=2,202) pcrm.widen.net/s/vpq8fcgxff...
pcrm.widen.net
PCRM-Processed-Meat-Colorectal-Cancer-Poll-2.17.26.pdf
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
6. Seven different methods for measuring the EAT-lancet diet produced different conclusions about micronutrient adequacy. The debates about plant-forward diets often reflect measurement disagreements vs. reality. Stubbendorff et al. (Lancet Planetary Health) DOI: 10.1016/j.lanplh.2025.101416
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
5. A commercial fishing ban on the Yangtze River tripled fish biomass & halted seven decades of biodiversity decline within two years. The strongest evidence to date that structural intervention can reverse ecological collapse. Xiong, et al. (Science) DOI: 10.1126/science.adu5160
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
4. The first RCT data on biological micronutrient status finds fortified PBMAs consistently more nutrient dense than animal-based meats; the latter did not generate a significant increase in the status of a single nutrient. Fu et al. (Clinical Nutrition) DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2026.106610
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
3. Across the world, whole-food plant-based diets consistently cost 16-40% less than omnivorous diets. The bigger obstacle: high-income country consumers believe the reverse is true. Goldman & Nagra (Academia Nutrition & Dietetics) DOI: 10.20935/AcadNutr8137
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
2. The most rigorous global deforestation attribution model to date finds that cattle pasture drives 42% of all commodity-driven deforestation & over half its carbon emissions. Singh & Persson (Nature Food) DOI: 10.1038/s43016-026-01305-4
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
1. Grasslands & wetlands are disappearing at ~4x the rate of forests, with two-thirds of that destruction tracing back to livestock supply chains. The most comprehensive supply-chain evidence yet that land governance must look beyond deforestation. Lesiv et al. (PNAS) DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2521183123
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
Key takeaways from our second monthly digest, featuring some of February's most impactful and interesting studies, reports and news. February's evidence hits hardest on land and money. iffs.earth/wp-content/u...
iffs.earth
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
11. News links - see report for URLs iffs.earth/wp-content/u...
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
10. According to industry, meat waste costs retailers around $94bn a year - nearly a fifth of the $540bn global food waste bill. Yet, the opportunities for plant-based alternatives barely feature in the solutions. Avery Dennison Industry Report www.averydennison.com/en/home/unlo...
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
9. UK consumption of meat has fallen over 20 years, but growing exports prop up production. Cutting demand alone won't cut emissions - production must fall too to meet environmental goals. Green Alliance Policy Report green-alliance.org.uk/publication/...
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
8. Five low-cost, widely available herbs and spices (black cumin, garlic, fenugreek, amla, and cinnamon) demonstrate cholesterol reductions comparable to dietary fiber interventions. Goldman, D. & Nagra, M. (Academia Nutrition & Dietetics) doi.org/10.20935/Aca...
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
7. Small farms (20ha or less) supply around a third of all food consumed in high-income nations, complicating transition narratives & highlighting critical policy gaps for food security. Taherzadeh et al. (Nature Food) www.nature.com/articles/s43...
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
6. Dynamic social norm messaging, like "more people are choosing plant-based", can increase the likelihood of people choosing a plant-based meal by almost 20%. Edwards et al. (Food Quality & Preference) doi.org/10.1016/j.fo...
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
5. Equitable food systems have been systematically undermined. 114 publications spanning 80+ years show corporations gained binding trade protections, while food security & nutrition governance stayed voluntary & under-resourced. Slater et al. (Globalization & Health) doi.org/10.1186/s129...
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
4. Not all ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are equal: health risks concentrate in animal-based products while plant-based UPFs show protective associations, including decreased cardiovascular and diabetes risk. Kahleova, H. et al. (BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health) doi.org/10.1136/bmjn...
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
3. Zero of 12 countries (accounting for >50% of the global population) provides enough vegetables or nuts, while there is an oversupply of animal products. A mismatch between food supply & nutrition needs that four policy levers can help fix. Fischer et al. (Health Affairs) doi.org/10.1377/hlth...
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
2. Removing EU VAT breaks on meat could cut food-related environmental damage by up to 5.7% at a net cost of just €5-11 per person/yr when revenue is redistributed. An immediately deployable policy lever. Plinke et al. (Nature Food) www.nature.com/articles/s43...
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Institute for Future Food Systems @iffs-earth.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
1. 78% of EU and UK fixed agricultural assets are linked to animal-sourced foods, creating up to €255 billion in risk exposure, depending on the pace of dietary transition towards more plant-forward diets. Kortleve et al. (Nature Food) www.nature.com/articles/s43...
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