Ten takeaways from the Stockholm Food Forum

Last weekend, I joined more than 700 academics, policymakers, activists, philanthropists, farmers and citizens, the great and the good of food, who flew in from across the globe to the Stockholm Food Forum. The main event? The launch of the EAT-Lancet Commission 2.0 - the update to the 2019 landmark research that compiles the evidence on how we need to eat to stay within planetary boundaries: more vegetables, fruit, wholegrains, legumes and pulses, less meat and dairy. The energy in the room was electric, a mix of urgency and hope that the Planetary Health Diet can bring us back from the brink.

What struck me was the resonance between the themes from global conversations in Stockholm and what we’re doing at FFCC. Last week, we released the first report from the Citizen Advisory Council Laying the Foundations, which sets out their first phase of their work in advising the food strategy. The solutions being called for in Stockholm are actually very similar to the common-sense outcomes the citizens identified. The way forward isn’t really as complex as some might have us believe.

Here are my ten key takeaways from Stockholm and some further thoughts on how it links to our work.

1. The science has only strengthened

What’s different from the 2019 Planetary Health Diet? Almost nothing. The evidence is now even more robust: the Planetary Health Diet could prevent 15 million premature deaths annually and reduce food system emissions by more than half. Transforming food systems would require $200-500 billion per year, a fraction of what we're already paying.

2. What we eat here matters there

Half the world falls below social foundations, while 6.7 billion live above planetary boundaries, a burden not distributed equally. Our choices in the Global North ripple across the world. Representatives from the Global South shared stark stories on the realities of rising temperatures threatening crops and health, and rising sea levels making it much more difficult to grow food at all.

3. Food environments – it’s the system, stupid

How refreshing to not have to listen to ‘the need for individual behaviour change’, but instead the biggest call to action yet on food environments! 5.6 billion people live in food environments where making healthy choices is challenging, while 2.8 billion can't afford a healthy diet. We don't have true freedom of choice when high streets, supermarkets, restaurants, and canteens are designed to make unhealthy options the most available, affordable, and appealing. Reimagining our food environments must be done with and for people.

4. Truth is under attack, but we have tools

The panel on misinformation was sobering. Science is being suppressed, and social media algorithms amplify falsehoods. But there's hope: citizen assemblies offer a way forward, consistently producing recommendations that are bolder and more aligned with the future we need than those from traditional policymaking channels. We saw this clearly with The Food Conversation. By devolving power to citizens, we can bypass the misinformation and vested interests that too often capture policy.

5. Justice must inform how we act

Opening words from Dr. Richard Horton, Editor in Chief at the Lancet, set the tone: "The word at the centre of this report is justice." This means ensuring the right to food, the right to a healthy environment, and the right to decent work with living wages and dignified working conditions. From protecting indigenous food sovereignty to addressing the fact that the wealthiest 30% of people contribute to 70% of food-related environmental damage, justice must inform every decision we make.

6. Protect and reclaim traditional diets

The Planetary Health Diet is remarkably close to the traditional diets that sustained communities worldwide for generations. We must protect traditional diets where they still thrive and reclaim food knowledge with the technology and capabilities of today. We can link traditional approaches with modern solutions in food waste reduction and regenerative practices.

7. Public procurement is a powerful lever for change

Public procurement links health, education, and rural development, creating stable markets for sustainable farmers while ensuring good food reaches those who need it most. Denmark moved from 10% to 80% of the population meeting recommended wholegrain intakes in just 20 years through smart procurement policy. Brazil's school feeding programme serves 50 million meals daily and requires 30% (soon to be 45%) of produce to be bought from family farms.

8. Cities are leading where nations hesitate

The Citizen Advisory Council will go to regions across England to uncover what makes good food possible in those regions in their next phase of work. So, it was fascinating to hear examples of inspiring progress in sub-national regions – in this case, cities. C40 Cities is launching initiatives with lower and middle-income cities to provide school meals while working with market traders to offer healthy food and reduce waste. Paris is the biggest buyer of organic food, supporting a network of 160 food shops and kitchens that make good food available and affordable. The Mayor of Stockholm spoke passionately about serving one million meals daily in schools and her drive to push forward radical ideas. In Peru, a campaign with celebrity chefs gave politicians the media spotlight they craved, which then opened doors to revitalise traditional markets in cities across the country serving low-income communities.

9. Corporate power must be checked

Excessive corporate concentration controls prices, advertising, and makes genuine representation impossible. Market concentration can raise prices, lower wages, and squeeze producers. We need better regulation to ensure fair competition and to protect citizens' ability to make healthy choices in food environments designed to promote them.

10. The stories we tell matter

For me, Jack Bobo, Executive Director of the UCLA Rothman Family Institute for Food Studies, delivered the most memorable line of the forum: "The stories we tell determine the future we get. Don't ask people to sacrifice for the future but invite them to embrace everything it can hold." As we move into a new phase of our citizen work through the Citizen Advisory Council’s regional inquiries, this is what I want to help citizens reflect on: what story can we tell together about the future we want to build?