THEFOODSYSTEMSCOUNTDOWN2023|THESTATEOFFOODSYSTEMSWORLDWIDEREPORTRecommendedcitationFoodSystemsCountdownInitiative.2023.Thefoodsystemscountdownreport2023:Thestateoffoodsystemsworldwide.NewYork:ColumbiaUniversity;Ithaca:CornellUniversity;Rome:FoodandAgricultureOrganizationoftheUnitedNations(FAO);Geneva:GlobalAllianceforImprovedNutrition(GAIN).https://doi.org/10.36072/fsci2023.AcknowledgmentsThisreportwaswrittenbyStellaNordhagen,TyBeal,andKateSchneiderandreflectstheworkofthepeer-reviewedpublicationco-authoredbycollaboratorsandcolleaguesoftheFoodSystemsCountdownInitiative.InputwasprovidedbyAndreaCattaneo,PieroConforti,FrancescoTubiello,PatrickWebb,andtheFoodSystemsCountdownInitiativeco-chairs:JessicaFanzo,LawrenceHaddad,MarioHerrero,andJoséRoseroMoncayo.EditingisbyHeidiFritschel.GraphicdesignisbyDanielleDeGarmo.Photocredits:cover–page1©Unsplash;pages2–3©GAIN;page5©ImagesofEmpowerment;pages7–8©GAIN;page9©Pexels;page11©GAIN;page13©StellaNordhagen;page14©Unsplash:backcover©GAINThereportisbasedonthefollowingpeer-reviewedpublication:Schneider,K.R.,Fanzo,J.,Haddad,L.etal.Thestateoffoodsystemsworldwideinthecountdownto2030.NatFood4,1090–1110(2023).https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-023-00885-9ThisworkwasfundedbycontributionsfromFAO,theCornellUniversityCollegeofAgricultureandLifeSciences,theCornellAtkinsonCenterforSustainability,theJohnsHopkinsUniversityBloombergDistinguishedProfessorshipprogram,andtheDutchMinistryofForeignAffairs.Thefundershadnoroleindataanalysis,reportpreparation,orthedecisiontopublish.Allauthorshadaccesstothedatapresented.ThefindingsandconclusionscontainedwithinarethoseoftheauthorsanddonotnecessarilyreflectpositionsorpoliciesofColumbiaUniversity,CornellUniversity,FAO,orGAIN.©2023ColumbiaUniversity,CornellUniversity,FAO,andGAINThisworkisavailableundertheCreativeCommonsAttribution-Non-Commercial-ShareAlike4.0IGOlicense(CCBY-NC-SA4.0IGO;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).Underthetermsofthislicense,youmaycopy,redistribute,andadapttheworkfornon-commercialpurposes,providedtheworkisappropriatelycited,asindicatedabove.Inanyuseofthiswork,thereshouldbenosuggestionthattheFoodSystemsCountdownInitiative,ColumbiaUniversity,CornellUniversity,FAO,orGAINendorsesanyspecificorganization,products,orservices.Nouseoftheorganizations’logosispermitted.Ifyouadaptthework,thenyoumustlicenseyourworkunderthesameorequivalentCreativeCommonslicense.CONTACTwww.foodcountdown.orgGlobalAllianceforImprovedNutrition(GAIN)RuedeVarembé71202Geneva,Switzerlandinfo@gainhealth.orgwww.gainhealth.orgTHEFOODSYSTEMSCOUNTDOWNREPORT2023|THESTATEOFFOODSYSTEMSWORLDWIDE|1ExecutivesummaryFoodsystemsareafoundationofhumanandplanetarywell-beingandcentraltoachievingtheSustainableDevelopmentGoals.Yettheyalsocontributetoillhealth,inequity,environmentaldegradation,andgreenhousegasemissions.Thesechallengesdemandurgentfoodsystemstransformation.Suchatransformationrequiresunderstandingthestatusoffoodsystemsacrosstheirdiversefunctions.TheFoodSystemsCountdownInitiative(“theCountdown”)aimstoenablethisunderstandingbymonitoringthestateoffoodsystemstransformationthroughrelevantdata,independentofanyestablishedmonitoringprocesses.Suchmonitoringcanhelpaligndecisionmakersaroundkeypriorities,incentivizeaction,holdstakeholdersaccountable,sustaincommitmentbydemonstratingprogress,andenablecoursecorrections.T...