NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

The UN Food Systems Summit, held during the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2021, set the stage for global food systems transformation to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. The meeting brought to the attention of national governments, development actors, food and non-food companies and investors, and civic sector actors the following three accelerating – and closely interconnected – global threats:

1. In 2021, 768 million people suffered from hunger – and 2.3 billion were food insecure.

2. Food production alone contributes to 25% of global CO2 emissions and the food demand value chains, including food processing and trading, make up 36%.

3. In 2020, 3.1 billion people could not afford a healthy diet. 40% of adults and 20% of children globally suffer from obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases. And deaths attributable to poor diets have grown by 15% since 2010.