Every Person Counts in a Fair Transition to Net Zero: A UK Food Lens Towards Safeguarding Against Nutritional Vulnerability.

Abstract

The British Nutrition Foundation and Quadram Institute hosted a multidisciplinary roundtable, chaired by Professor Jessica Fanzo, to explore how the UK food system can be transformed to achieve net zero targets while ensuring nutritional adequacy, food security, and health equity across the life course. Current dietary patterns are significant contributors to the global burden of chronic disease, while food systems also cause considerable environmental harm. Agriculture, as both a major driver of climate change and a sector highly vulnerable to its effects, plays a crucial role in shaping both environmental change and food security. In the UK, dietary patterns often diverge from established guidelines, particularly among vulnerable groups, highlighting a food environment that fails to promote nutritional security or support balanced, sustainable, and diverse plant-rich diets for long-term health. Achieving a shift towards healthier, more sustainable diets requires a collaborative, cohesive, interdisciplinary, and innovative approach that integrates both nutritional and environmental goals across the entire food system. Roundtable participants considered how targeted action from policymakers, industry, and the agricultural sector can support this transition without compromising nutritional security. Participants emphasised that strategies to promote plant-rich diets must account for population-specific nutritional requirements and socioeconomic constraints. A key concern was ensuring that the transition to net zero does not exacerbate existing dietary inequalities. The discussion highlighted vulnerable groups, such as children, adolescents, pregnant women, and older adults, who may be at greater risk of nutritional inadequacies, particularly for vitamin B12, iron, and iodine, as efforts to reduce reliance on animal-based foods accelerate. Ensuring access to affordable, nutrient-dense, and bioavailable alternatives is crucial. The significant role of the private sector (manufacturers, retailers and out-of-home providers) in shaping the food environment was acknowledged, with an emphasis on the need for greater accountability. Participants called for robust regulatory policies to level the playing field and incentivise the production and promotion of healthier, more sustainable foods. Whilst the use of the terms 'high in fat, sugar or salt' (HFSS) and 'ultra-processed foods' (UPF) formed part of the discussion, particularly concerning processed plant-based alternatives, the primary message was to use such frameworks as tools to drive broader food system transformation, rather than distractions from the ultimate goal of enabling dietary patterns that are both health-promoting and environmentally sustainable.