Food in Transition

The production, processing and consumption of food have a significant impact on our environment. Dietary changes have the potential to help fight climate change, protect the environment and improve human health.

From field to fork, the production, processing and consumption of our food play a significant role in global water scarcity and the loss of both biodiversity and soil quality. The food system also accounts for a considerable share of humanity’s consumption of resources and, when viewed along the entire value chain, around a third of global greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to the way we feed ourselves. At the same time, nutrition is universally relevant and vital to the health and well-being of all of us. The challenges we face as a society, such as environmental pollution and resource depletion, are rarely as directly linked to personal consumption patterns and individual behaviours as they are here.

Scientists at the Wuppertal Institute research and develop ideas for reducing the negative impacts of food production and consumption on the environment and resources, taking into account both social and ecological needs. They investigate and evaluate innovative manufacturing processes and production methods, analyse the potential of food retail and the out-of-home catering industry as drivers of sustainable nutrition, and study individual diets.

Food in the shopping trolley
The food environment and available food supply have a major influence on our consumption decisions.
Shaping sustainable food environments

Our researchers take into account the entire value chain. They are, however, particularly interested in the food environment, which, as the interface between production and consumption, plays a decisive role in how people choose, buy and consume food.

Against this background, the out-of-home catering industry – for exampleschool catering, workplace canteens and restaurants – is especially influential. In Germany on average every third or fourth meal is consumed outside the home – and the trend is rising. Our researchers work with partners from praxis and science to develop ways of making the catering industry more sustainable, for example by improving menus and recipes or by changing how food is served and what information is communicated to customers. An important tool developed through our research projects is the NAHGAST calculator (only available in German). It enables catering businesses to evaluate and optimise the sustainability of their menus by taking account of environmental and social criteria.

The retail food sector also plays a key role in shaping sustainable nutrition, as it not only significantly influences consumers' purchasing decisions but also impacts producing companies and suppliers – making it an integral part of research initiatives. In the SuperSustain project, for example, researchers are investigating which innovations in the food retail sector, such as new products and alternative logistics structures, show strong potential for sustainability and are analysing their effects on the environment..

Evaluating production and consumption structures

Strategies for a sustainable transition in the food industry must undergo comprehensive analysis to identify environmental and social impacts. This can be done by performing sustainability assessments on food production and processing methods, services and diets, or even kitchen appliances and their use.

The Wuppertal Institute sees itself as a catalyst when it comes to defining target values for sustainable food – similar to nutritional recommendations for good health. We developed the Nutritional Footprint as a tool for evaluating individual meals, enabling users to understand health and environmental impacts simultaneously. We are constantly refining the methodology. For example, the researchers working on the BiTe project developed an indicator to assess the biodiversity impact of meals, which they then applied and tested in out-of-home cateringsettings.

Contact

Lena Hennes

Tel.: +49 202 2492-251

lena.hennes@wupperinst.org

Topics

Read more on our research on Food in Transition:

News

Here you find up-to-date information on research findings and activities in the field of Food in Transition.

Projects

Selected projects in the field of Food in Transition. In the following you find selected sample projects. A complete list is available here.

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