The global food system supports the livelihoods of over 1.2 billion people, with almost half of the world's population living in households linked to agri-food systems. However, the food system is in dire need of interventions for sustainable transformation, as it is a major driver of the transgression of five planetary boundaries: climate change, biosphere integrity, land use, freshwater use, and nitrogen and phosphorus flows.

Climate change: The global food system contributes to approximately 30% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. This estimate includes emissions from crop and livestock activities within the farm gate (9–14%) as well as from land use and land-use change, including deforestation and peatland degradation (5–14%); the remainder (5–10%) is attributed to food processing, packaging, transportation, and retail activity, including GHG emissions from food loss and waste. Half of the total anthropogenic CH 4 emissions have been linked to livestock and paddy rice cultivation, while three-quarters of the total N²O emissions are from nitrogen-fertilized agricultural soils..

Biosphere integrity: Food systems may contribute to approximately two-thirds of biosphere integrity loss, although a first estimate suggested it could be as high as 80%. The intensification and expansion of agricultural activities lead to habitat destruction and fragmentation, directly impacting biodiversity. Agriculture, aquaculture, and fisheries are identified as threats to 63% of the 29,000 species, which IUCN has documented as at risk of extinction.

Land system change: Food systems induce 80-90% of tropical deforestation and wetland loss.

Freshwater use: About 70% of all freshwater withdrawals are currently used for agriculture, and about 85% of withdrawn resources are consumed in irrigated agricultural production

Nitrogen and Phosphorus cycles: Excessive use of agricultural fertilizers and the resulting pollution of water bodies accounts for 85% and 95% of the perturbation in N and P cycles, respectively.

Unsustainable agricultural practices and dietary preferences contribute to exceeding the planetary boundaries, thereby undermining the long-term sustainability of food systems. Between 2010 and 2050, because of projected increases in human population, diets and income levels, the environmental effects of global food systems are expected to increase by 50–90%, reaching levels that will cause the planetary boundaries.

To feed the world's population within planetary boundaries, a holistic transformation of global food systems is necessary, including spatially redistributed cropland, improved water-nutrient management, food waste reduction, and dietary changes.

This transformation would require a systemic and participatory approach, with careful consideration of trade-offs, externalities, and costs of not acting. Science should increasingly inform solutions and generate actionable knowledge to transform food systems.

Translating global-scale scientific assessments into actionable knowledge at national and local levels is essential. Greater coordination among food systems stakeholders is crucial for greater inclusion, transparency, and accountability. Sharing lessons and experiences will enable adaptive learning and responsive actions. A participatory and holistic transformation process, informed by science, must be established at various scales, from global to national and local levels. Some pilot countries have already established national Science-Policy-Society Interfaces (SPSIs) for food systems transformation. However, much more remains to be done to advance food systems transformation through science.