Food sustainability connects climate, health, and food security, shaping how the whole supply chain operates. This page maps key drivers—from emissions and fertilizer use to food waste and consumer demand. You’ll also see how EU rules on hygiene (HACCP), traceability, organic farming targets, and audit coverage are influencing business decisions and reporting.
Key Takeaways
- 27% of global greenhouse gas emissions were attributed to food systems in 2019, per FAO reporting using life-cycle estimates.
- The EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy targets that 25% of agricultural land will be under organic farming by 2030.
- EU Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 (Hygiene of foodstuffs) requires food business operators to implement procedures based on HACCP principles.
- EU Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 established general principles and requirements of food law, including traceability (food and feed businesses must be able to identify other businesses that have supplied them and other businesses that receive their products).
- 2.4 billion people (about 30% of the global population) cannot afford a healthy diet as of 2019–2021 estimates reported by FAO.
- The global plant-based meat market size is forecast to reach $27.2 billion by 2030 according to Market Research Future (with published CAGR assumptions).
- The global carbon accounting software market is projected to grow to $2.5 billion by 2027 according to MarketsandMarkets (from earlier baseline).
- The global market for sustainable agriculture is expected to reach $19.8 billion by 2028 according to a Fortune Business Insights market forecast.
- 63% of supply chain professionals reported using sustainability criteria for supplier selection in a 2023 survey by Gartner.
- In the EU, 84% of consumers say they are concerned about the environment, according to a 2023 Eurobarometer survey.
- 53% of consumers said sustainability is important in their purchasing, per a 2023 YouGov report on sustainable consumption.
- 39% of consumers report that food waste reduction is a personally relevant action, according to a 2023 survey by YouGov.
- 20–30% of food produced is lost or wasted across the global food system, according to 2011–2014 Food Loss and Waste literature synthesized by UN and FAO reporting.
- 18.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions (including land-use change) were from agriculture in 2010, per IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report.
- 7.6% of global greenhouse gas emissions were attributable to transport of food-related goods and services, per a life-cycle based assessment by Poore & Nemecek.
Food systems drive major emissions and affordability gaps, while EU rules and consumer demand accelerate greener choices.
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01 · Category
Regulation & Standards8 stats
01
The EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy targets that 25% of agricultural land will be under organic farming by 2030.
02
EU Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 (Hygiene of foodstuffs) requires food business operators to implement procedures based on HACCP principles.
03
EU Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 established general principles and requirements of food law, including traceability (food and feed businesses must be able to identify other businesses that have supplied them and other businesses that receive their products).
04
By 2022, 17% of the global population lived in countries with food waste reduction policies in place, according to UNEP’s Food Waste Index report.
05
The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive targets collection and recycling targets culminating in 2025–2030 system targets set by Directive (EU) 2018/852 and amendments.
06
EU Directive (EU) 2019/904 (Single-Use Plastics Directive) sets specific reduction targets for certain single-use plastic products.
07
EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) entered a transitional phase beginning 1 October 2023 for reporting declared embedded emissions for certain covered goods.
08
In 2023, the SEC adopted climate-related disclosure rules requiring certain issuers to disclose greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related risks, with compliance phased in (the final rule was adopted March 6, 2024).
Interpretation
Regulation & Standards Interpretation
Under Regulation & Standards, the EU and global frameworks are pushing measurable change, from a 25% organic farming target by 2030 and mandatory HACCP-based hygiene controls to single-use plastic reduction rules and rising coverage of food waste policies reaching 17% of the global population by 2022.
02 · Category
Market Size & Investment4 stats
01
The global plant-based meat market size is forecast to reach $27.2 billion by 2030 according to Market Research Future (with published CAGR assumptions).
02
The global carbon accounting software market is projected to grow to $2.5 billion by 2027 according to MarketsandMarkets (from earlier baseline).
03
The global market for sustainable agriculture is expected to reach $19.8 billion by 2028 according to a Fortune Business Insights market forecast.
04
The global alternative protein ingredients market is forecast to grow to $36.4 billion by 2030 according to a report from IMARC Group.
Interpretation
Market Size & Investment Interpretation
Across the sustainability food landscape, major investment signals are growing quickly, from the plant based meat market projected to hit $27.2 billion by 2030 to sustainable agriculture reaching $19.8 billion by 2028 and alternative protein ingredients expanding to $36.4 billion by 2030.
03 · Category
Emissions Footprints7 stats
01
20–30% of food produced is lost or wasted across the global food system, according to 2011–2014 Food Loss and Waste literature synthesized by UN and FAO reporting.
02
18.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions (including land-use change) were from agriculture in 2010, per IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report.
03
7.6% of global greenhouse gas emissions were attributable to transport of food-related goods and services, per a life-cycle based assessment by Poore & Nemecek.
04
8.0% of food systems’ GHG emissions are estimated to come from agriculture’s use of fertilizers (direct nitrous oxide), according to a comprehensive life-cycle review published in 2020.
05
27% of global greenhouse-gas emissions are attributed to food systems in 2019
06
18.7% of global greenhouse-gas emissions (including land-use change) come from agriculture in 2010
07
7.6% of global greenhouse-gas emissions are attributable to transport of food-related goods and services
Interpretation
Emissions Footprints Interpretation
Emissions footprints in the food industry are heavily driven by agriculture and its inputs, with agriculture accounting for 18.7% of global greenhouse gases and fertilizer use adding another 8.0%, while transport contributes 7.6% and overall food loss and waste reaches 20–30%, amplifying the climate impact at every stage.
More related reading
report visual · Comparison
Food systems’ share of global greenhouse-gas emissions (by source)
Across food-system sources, food systems account for the largest share of global greenhouse-gas emissions, leading agriculture (including land-use change) and transport, with the b
27% of global greenhouse-gas emissions are attributed to food systems in 201927%
18.7% of global greenhouse-gas emissions (including land-use change) come from agriculture in 2010
18.7%
7.6% of global greenhouse-gas emissions are attributable to transport of food-related goods and services
7.6%
source-verifiedopenknowledge.fao.org · ipcc.ch · sciencedirect.com2019
04 · Category
Consumer & Demand3 stats
01
In the EU, 84% of consumers say they are concerned about the environment, according to a 2023 Eurobarometer survey.
02
53% of consumers said sustainability is important in their purchasing, per a 2023 YouGov report on sustainable consumption.
03
39% of consumers report that food waste reduction is a personally relevant action, according to a 2023 survey by YouGov.
Interpretation
Consumer & Demand Interpretation
From the Consumer and Demand angle, the data shows strong and growing concern and action signals with 84% of EU consumers worried about the environment, 53% saying sustainability matters in their purchases, and 39% finding food waste reduction personally relevant.
05 · Category
Policies, Standards & Regulation3 stats
01
100% of food businesses in the UK are required to register with local authorities under the Food Hygiene Regulations 2013, ensuring baseline compliance with food safety systems.
02
33% of global food companies reported being audited under GFSI-recognized schemes in 2022, per GS1 Global report on food safety audit coverage.
03
4 years is the typical implementation period referenced by the EU for CSRD full transition across reporting waves, per the CSRD directive’s phased application timeline.
Interpretation
Policies, Standards & Regulation Interpretation
For the Policies, Standards & Regulation angle, the UK’s 100% requirement for Food Hygiene Regulations registration shows how tightly compliance is enforced at baseline, while the fact that only 33% of global food companies were audited under GFSI-recognized schemes in 2022 and the EU’s typical four-year CSRD transition point to a still uneven adoption pace of broader standards and reporting rules.
06 · Category
Industry Overview3 stats
01
27% of global greenhouse gas emissions were attributed to food systems in 2019, per FAO reporting using life-cycle estimates.
02
2.4 billion people (about 30% of the global population) cannot afford a healthy diet as of 2019–2021 estimates reported by FAO.
03
63% of supply chain professionals reported using sustainability criteria for supplier selection in a 2023 survey by Gartner.
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
Industry overview data underscores that food systems are a major climate driver and a barrier to nutrition, with 27% of global greenhouse gas emissions coming from food in 2019 while 2.4 billion people still cannot afford a healthy diet, even as 63% of supply chain professionals increasingly use sustainability criteria for supplier selection.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Felix Zimmermann. (2026, February 13). Sustainability In The Food Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sustainability-in-the-food-industry-statistics
MLA
Felix Zimmermann. "Sustainability In The Food Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/sustainability-in-the-food-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Felix Zimmermann. 2026. "Sustainability In The Food Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sustainability-in-the-food-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
28 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+8 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)