Transforming food systems is not just about changing how we produce food – it’s also about changing the policies, markets and people’s behaviour that shape what we eat, while ensuring the transition is fair for farmers and producers.
As we head from Climate Week NYC to COP31, we move from ambition to delivery: connect food systems to climate action, health, resilience, and economic opportunity, and identify the practical changes governments, businesses and investors need to make together. Discussions at Climate Week NYC highlighted six ways to do that:
1. Farmers need finance
Regenerative farming and other sustainable practices can take time to deliver returns. Farmers can face several years of transition costs, which they can’t always charge to their customers. They need access to capital and incentives that reward progress towards more sustainable farming practices.
At COP31, government leaders, businesses and financial institutions can help close the gap between climate commitments and the support farmers need to deliver them.
2. Tackle hunger beyond food production
Discussions highlighted a common misconception; that food security is primarily about producing more food. Hunger is also driven by the cost of food, its availability, and food waste, alongside sustainability and people's ability to choose their food.
As world leaders gather to negotiate our future, we must bring food consumption, nutrition, affordability and waste into climate discussions, alongside farming and land use.
3. Consumer choices are shaped by policy and the food environment
Individual choices matter, but price, availability, subsidies, retail decisions, and cultural preferences all influence what people eat. Sustainable options cannot become the new normal if the current system favours less sustainable alternatives.
The responsibility should not fall on communities and individuals alone, we must continue to make the case for policy that makes healthy, sustainable food more affordable and accessible.
Jim Walker, Chief Partnerships Officer & COO, Tilt Collective, explains: “Diets shift constantly, and they're shaped as much by culture as they are by food environment, so by everything from marketing through to advertising through to product placement and government policy.”
4. Better data is essential for accountability
The forum highlighted gaps in data on what people eat, where food comes from, and how it is produced. Traceability, digital tools and AI can improve transparency, measure progress and help connect producers with consumers. But systems must work across different contexts, and producers should retain a meaningful role in owning and telling their stories.
5. Resilience matters as much as production efficiency
Improving efficiency is not enough if food systems remain vulnerable to climate impacts, resource pressures, and supply-chain disruption. The discussion also broadened the conversation beyond crops to include aquafarming and seafood, recognising the diversity of food systems and the importance of local contexts and cultural traditions.
While solutions may be tailored to different contexts, a shift in the way we produce and consume our should be a climate resilience and economic security priority for every city, state and region.
6. The transition needs a more compelling story
Facts, jargon, and targets alone will not change food systems. During CWNYC, experts and leaders called for more powerful stories about the benefits of transformation: healthier people, thriving farmers, stronger communities, fairer economies and restored natural capital. Taste, convenience, nutrition and affordability must be part of case for sustainable food.
From Antalya to Addis, leaders, content creators, and media should ensure human-first storytelling that is grounded in facts and evidence. Stories on sustainable food must lead with tangible benefits for people and places, showing how food-system transformation can improve everyday life as well as reduce emissions.