Food systems performance evaluated against targets and benchmarks reveals urgent gaps and a path to 2050
Abstract
Despite national and international commitments to food systems transformation and an increasing adoption of common indicators, no comprehensive targets have been established against which progress can be measured. Here, building on the Food Systems Countdown Initiative framework, we identify existing targets—based on internationally agreed commitments and normative goals—and establish benchmarks—based on empirically derived peer performance reference values at the global, regional and income group levels—for 44 Food Systems Countdown Initiative indicators. We also assess countries' historical progress and the rate of change required to achieve targets and benchmarks over two different timescales. We show that current progress is insufficient to meet 2030 targets and benchmarks at global level. Comparing countries' status to regional and income benchmarks, which are generally less ambitious, yields better performance across indicators and regions, although gaps remain. Achieving most targets and benchmarks by 2050 is possible if countries correct course and accelerate progress, but certain indicators will require considerable investment and intervention.
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BibTeX
@article{carducci2026food,
title = {{Food systems performance evaluated against targets and benchmarks reveals urgent gaps and a path to 2050}},
author = {Bianca Carducci and Kate Schneider Lecy and Stella Nordhagen and Ty Beal and Christophe Bene and Carlos Gonzalez Fischer and Anna Herforth and Francesco N. Tubiello and Ramya Ambikapathi and Krishna Arunkumar and Christine Campeau and Shouro Dasgupta and Fabrice Declerck and Inmaculada del Pino Alvarez and Alejandro Guarin and Rebecca Mclaren and Jose-Luis Vivero-Pol and Nancy Aburto and Simon Barquera and Jane Battersby and Carlo Cafiero and Piero Conforti and Patrick Caron and Andrea Cattaneo and Namukolo Covic and Ismahane Elouafi and Carola Fabi and Jessica A. Gephart and Alexander Fremier and Pat Foley and Christopher D. Golden and Sheryl L. Hendriks and Jikun Huang and Gina Kennedy and Amos Laar and Rattan Lal and Preetmoninder Lidder and Brent Loken and Hazel Malapit and Quinn Marshall and Yuta J. Masuda and Roseline Remans and Danielle Resnick and Michaela Saisana and Ussif Rashid Sumaila and Maximo Torero Cullen and Patrick Webb and Keith Wiebe and Lawrence Haddad and Jose Rosero Moncayo and Jessica Fanzo and Mario Herrero},
journal = {Nature Food},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/s43016-026-01379-0},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05796361v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Food systems performance evaluated against targets and benchmarks reveals urgent gaps and a path to 2050
AU - Bianca Carducci
AU - Kate Schneider Lecy
AU - Stella Nordhagen
AU - Ty Beal
AU - Christophe Bene
AU - Carlos Gonzalez Fischer
AU - Anna Herforth
AU - Francesco N. Tubiello
AU - Ramya Ambikapathi
AU - Krishna Arunkumar
AU - Christine Campeau
AU - Shouro Dasgupta
AU - Fabrice Declerck
AU - Inmaculada del Pino Alvarez
AU - Alejandro Guarin
AU - Rebecca Mclaren
AU - Jose-Luis Vivero-Pol
AU - Nancy Aburto
AU - Simon Barquera
AU - Jane Battersby
AU - Carlo Cafiero
AU - Piero Conforti
AU - Patrick Caron
AU - Andrea Cattaneo
AU - Namukolo Covic
AU - Ismahane Elouafi
AU - Carola Fabi
AU - Jessica A. Gephart
AU - Alexander Fremier
AU - Pat Foley
AU - Christopher D. Golden
AU - Sheryl L. Hendriks
AU - Jikun Huang
AU - Gina Kennedy
AU - Amos Laar
AU - Rattan Lal
AU - Preetmoninder Lidder
AU - Brent Loken
AU - Hazel Malapit
AU - Quinn Marshall
AU - Yuta J. Masuda
AU - Roseline Remans
AU - Danielle Resnick
AU - Michaela Saisana
AU - Ussif Rashid Sumaila
AU - Maximo Torero Cullen
AU - Patrick Webb
AU - Keith Wiebe
AU - Lawrence Haddad
AU - Jose Rosero Moncayo
AU - Jessica Fanzo
AU - Mario Herrero
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/13
JO - Nature Food
DO - 10.1038/s43016-026-01379-0
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05796361v1
AB - Despite national and international commitments to food systems transformation and an increasing adoption of common indicators, no comprehensive targets have been established against which progress can be measured. Here, building on the Food Systems Countdown Initiative framework, we identify existing targets—based on internationally agreed commitments and normative goals—and establish benchmarks—based on empirically derived peer performance reference values at the global, regional and income group levels—for 44 Food Systems Countdown Initiative indicators. We also assess countries' historical progress and the rate of change required to achieve targets and benchmarks over two different timescales. We show that current progress is insufficient to meet 2030 targets and benchmarks at global level. Comparing countries' status to regional and income benchmarks, which are generally less ambitious, yields better performance across indicators and regions, although gaps remain. Achieving most targets and benchmarks by 2050 is possible if countries correct course and accelerate progress, but certain indicators will require considerable investment and intervention.
SN - 2662-1355
ER -