Editorial 2: ​​Justice in food

Context

Justice in food systems means ensuring a transition towards diets that are both healthy and affordable.

Introduction

The EAT–Lancet Commission’s new report reveals that global food systems are driving five of six breached planetary boundaries and about 30% of greenhouse gas emissions. It warns that unsustainable patterns of agriculture, diet, and resource use lie at the centre of climate, biodiversity, and water crises, demanding urgent reforms in production efficiency, consumption, and policy design.

Food Systems at the Heart of Planetary Crises

• The EAT–Lancet Commission Report underscores that food systems drive five of the six breached planetary boundaries and contribute nearly 30% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
• It reveals how climate change, biodiversity loss, water stress, and pollution are deeply interlinked through the way the world produces and consumes food.
• Animal-based foods generate most agricultural emissions, while grains dominate nitrogen, phosphorus, and water use, indicating uneven environmental pressures.

Unsustainable Resource Use and Systemic Risks

• Biogeochemical flows show a grim picture: nitrogen surplus exceeds safe limits by over two times, worsening soil and water quality.
• Without strong policy correction, mere efficiency gains can backfire—higher productivity may spur more production, negating environmental benefits.
• The Commission cautions that even comprehensive reforms—from emission cuts to dietary shifts—would barely restore global food systems to ecological safety by 2050, especially in climate and freshwater domains.
• It questions the assumption of 127% GDP growth in 30 years, arguing for a focus on slower growth and resilience to climate shocks instead.

India’s Dietary Patterns and Affordability Challenge

• India’s cereal-dominant diet meets calorie needs but falls short on diversity and nutrition.
• Meeting 2050 sustainability benchmarks will require higher intake of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts, which could raise consumer prices.
• Many regions already face fragile affordability due to dependence on imported foods, exposing them to price volatility.
• Thus, justice in transition means ensuring healthier diets while keeping them affordable and culturally compatible.

Beyond Diet: Towards Systemic Food Reform

• The report warns that diet-first approaches may fail in India, where food preferences are shaped by religion, caste, and convenience, and institutional meals (like midday meals or PDS procurement) define demand.
• Instead, the transition should involve:
  • Setting standards to limit harmful inputs (fertilizers, pesticides).
  • Using fiscal incentives to make minimally processed foods cheaper.
  • Aligning procurement policies with regional, affordable, and nutritious dishes.

Reforming Supply Chains and Resource Use

• Supply-side reforms are crucial to address:
  • Water scarcity and groundwater depletion.
  • Soil degradation and fossil-fuel dependence in storage and transport.
• India must gradually withdraw open-ended incentives for groundwater extraction and shift to sustainable irrigation models.

Ensuring Justice and Accountability

• The report highlights market concentration, weak labour safeguards, and corporate dominance as barriers to fair reform.
• Justice-oriented transitions require:
  • Collective bargaining power for workers and small farmers.
  • Consumer participation in regulatory and policy decisions.
• Current safeguards remain fragmentary, and must evolve into institutional guarantees for an equitable and sustainable food future.

Conclusion

The report highlights that transforming food systems requires more than diet shifts as it needs policy reform, resource justice, and equitable access. For India, balancing nutrition, affordability, and sustainability is key. True progress lies in combining local food diversity, sustainable irrigation, fair markets, and worker rights to create a system that safeguards both planetary health and human well-being.