Philip Lymbery examines how FMCG leaders can drive sustainable, humane and resilient food systems
It’s hard to believe that forty years have passed since that terrible famine and the outpouring of compassion galvanised by Live Aid.
Forty years later and world leaders gathered in those very same hills where hunger once echoed, not to mourn the past, but to reimagine the future. The UN Food Systems Summit in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, was no ordinary conference – it was a reckoning with history and a rallying cry for transformation.
For a week in July, Addis Ababa became the world’s centre of action on food. The town hall for the global family. Over 3,500 people took part in the Summit, including nearly 150 national governments. Business engagement was strong, led by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, a leading corporate community aiming to make sustainability performance a key driver for competitiveness.
Three principles for change
For my part, I was keen to share three key messages for a food future that nourishes both people and planet whilst protecting animals.
Firstly, food systems should be driven by the principle of feeding people first, something which sadly right now is all too often not the case.
To achieve this, we need to reorient away from industrial animal agriculture where vast quantities of crops are used as animal feed. Nearly half the world’s crops are diverted into the feed troughs of industrial farms. Here, much of the food value in terms of calories and protein is lost in conversion to intensively produced meat, milk, and eggs, becoming what I call ‘ghost food waste’. Food lost as needlessly as if thrown in the bin, squandering what could otherwise have fed billions of hungry people.
Secondly, we urgently need to get food systems back within planetary boundaries, respecting the limits of sustainability for climate and nature. Globally, our food is responsible for 30 per cent of the greenhouse gas emissions. Switching to climate and nature-friendly farming would go a long way to restoring the balance, preventing global warming, and taking the pressure off hard-pressed ecosystems.
Third is the importance of recognising that the health and welfare of people, animals and the environment are inseparable. That truly future-fit, food systems need to embrace One Health. That’s about acting on the fact that farmed animals kept in harmful conditions get sick. They produce poor quality food. They cause pollution an risk causing the next pandemic.
Future food systems need to integrate One Health by providing high welfare conditions, resulting in animals being healthier and producing higher quality food whilst protecting the environment.
Positive pathways
These principles are not abstract ideals – they are the scaffolding for a food system that can heal rather than harm.
For leaders in the fast-moving consumer goods sector, these principles offer a roadmap for future resilience. Prioritising human-edible food production, investing in regenerative agriculture, and ensuring animal welfare are not just ethical imperatives – they’re strategic business decisions that align with evolving consumer expectations and regulatory landscapes.
Inspiration
It is easy to think that hunger and the need to reform food systems is a distant issue in far-away countries. Yet, demand for emergency food banks has risen sharply in recent years. Anti-poverty charity, The Trussell Trust, distributed 2.9 million emergency food parcels in the past year – equivalent to one parcel every 11 seconds. Similarly, farming in Britain and Europe continues to see the rise of polluting and poor animal welfare mega-farms.
At the Summit in Ethiopia, more than 160 countries showed how they have begun to reflect the critical role of food and agriculture in reducing hunger and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. They have instigated school meal programmes to support child nutrition. Hunger has started to decline.
In her closing remarks, UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed said,
“Our movement has shown what is possible when we work together,” and have the opportunity to “build on what has been accomplished and continue to work together for peace” and a better future for everyone.
Food remains central to the challenges we face – and the solutions we need. The task now is to turn global goodwill into lasting reform. As leaders in the FMCG sector, we have the power – and responsibility – to shape food systems that nourish people, protect the planet, and uphold animal welfare. The time to act is now.
Philip Lymbery is Global CEO of Compassion in World Farming International, President of Eurogroup for Animals, a Board Member of the UN Food Systems Advisory Board, a former United Nations Food Systems Champion, an animal advocate and award-winning author. His latest book is Sixty Harvests Left: How to Reach a Nature-Friendly Future.
Philip is on X (twitter) @philip_ciwf
