The world faces significant challenges in achieving global food targets by 2030

The world previously set 44 food and nutrition targets for 2030. However, even in Europe, which currently outperforms most other regions, researchers indicate that 19 of these indicators are unlikely to be achieved if current trends persist.

When evaluating global progress toward sustainability, dietary habits, nutrition, and food system resilience, it is evident that the world is significantly lagging. We have failed to meet nearly all these goals, with the exception of one.

In August, researchers from the Food Systems Countdown Initiative—a collaborative project involving Johns Hopkins University, Cornell University, the FAO, and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)—published a report in Nature Food evaluating 44 food system performance indicators across 197 countries.

The report covers aspects such as diet, nutrition, environment, livelihoods, and governance. The findings reveal that the world is only on track to meet the target for mobile phone subscriptions—a proxy for connectivity. For 22 other indicators, fewer than one-third of countries are projected to reach their 2030 goals.

Most alarmingly, greenhouse gas emissions from the food system represent the worst-performing metric. Globally, countries are falling 75% short of the target, and under current trajectories, no country is expected to meet this goal by 2030.

At a regional level, the outlook remains challenging: Africa needs a 15-20% annual improvement across 23 indicators; Asia requires a 63% annual reduction in food insecurity; and the Americas need a 57.2% annual increase in government management efficiency to stay on track.

Certain areas, including civil society participation in food policy, government accountability, ultra-processed food sales, agricultural water usage, and pesticide application, are actually regressing rather than simply progressing slowly.

Despite the grim overall picture, researchers noted that about half of the tracked indicators show positive global trends, though the pace of improvement remains insufficient.

Dr. Jessica Fanzo, Professor of Climate and Food Policy at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, suggested that utilizing regional and income-based benchmarks, rather than a single global standard, would make progress feel more achievable.

Lawrence Haddad, Executive Director of GAIN, emphasized that transforming food systems is a collective responsibility. He noted that governance, including government efficiency, accountability, and civil society engagement, are the essential catalysts for driving systemic progress.