“Food security” embraces the many complex factors and systems that describe our relationship with food, including health, environmental, and economic outcomes. Imagine a food security framework as a triangle: On one side is the pressing need to properly feed more than eight billion people. Leaning against this is another side, the urgent need to protect the planet from climate change and biodiversity loss.
Beyond this, there is a fundamental need for people everywhere to expand the range of foods they eat, making dietary choices that better support more equitable and sustainable food systems. Protein is essential for a healthy diet, but while it is often associated with meat, there are many other sources of protein to explore. Producers and consumers should be encouraged to embrace meat alternatives such as plant-based proteins, including nuts, beans, and seeds.
All efforts to increase global access to healthy foods must be balanced with the need to protect the planet by minimizing the carbon footprint and environmental impact across the entire food system. This requires a shift from intensive industrial agriculture to less destructive land management, including a reduced reliance on monoculture supported by chemical fertilizers and pesticides.