FAO warns of $2 trillion in damage from "agrifood" systems impact, including emissions
UN body is urging the use of "true cost accounting" to capture emissions data and other hidden impacts of food systems on the environment, health, and livelihoods.
Land use changes and greenhouse gas emissions across agrifood supply chains are causing hidden costs amounting to US$2 trillion a year – costs that food companies and their Chief Sustainability Officers should take into account in their sustainability strategies, according to a newly published report by the FAO.
In The State of Food and Agriculture 2023, the FAO estimates that the hidden health, environmental and social costs caused by unsustainable food systems amount to US$10 trillion a year – or 10% of global GDP. Startlingly, it suggests that the large majority (73%) stem from labour productivity losses driven by unhealthy diets high in ultra-processed foods, particularly in high-income countries.
