OPINION

Time for mission-oriented approach to school meals

News, Mariana Mazzucato, Published on 13/10/2025

» The global food system is failing on multiple fronts. With more than 2.6 billion people unable to afford a healthy diet, over 500 million are expected to be chronically undernourished by 2030. Worse, at a time when meeting future demand requires a 50% increase in food production, food-system productivity is actually declining, owing partly to rising climate risks. Agrifood industries are not only driving biodiversity loss, land degradation, and a global water crisis, but also generating almost one-third of global greenhouse-gas emissions.