The Real Cost of Food – It doesn’t just grow on trees you know!

Smil, V. (2013). Harvesting the Biosphere: What We Have Taken from Nature. MIT Press.
Examines the impact of human activity on global food systems and resource extraction.

Poore, J., & Nemecek, T. (2018). “Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers.” Science, 360(6392), 987–992.
Provides a comprehensive analysis of the environmental costs of food production, comparing plant- and animal-based systems, highlighting the significantly lower land use, greenhouse gas emissions, and resource demands associated with plant-based diets.

Hall, K. D., Ayuketah, A., Brychta, R., et al. (2019). “Ultra-processed diets cause excess calorie intake and weight gain.” Cell Metabolism, 30(1), 67–77.
Highlights the health costs of ultra-processed foods, including their role in promoting overeating, obesity, and chronic disease by disrupting hunger regulation, increasing energy density, and reducing dietary quality.

Willett, W., Rockström, J., Loken, B., et al. (2019). “Food in the Anthropocene: The EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems.” The Lancet, 393(10170), 447–492.
Proposes dietary shifts towards plant-based eating to improve health outcomes and reduce environmental costs, highlighting the benefits of whole, minimally processed foods in promoting sustainability and preventing chronic diseases.

Rockström, J., Steffen, W., Noone, K., et al. (2009). “Planetary boundaries: Exploring the safe operating space for humanity.” Ecology and Society, 14(2), 32.
Introduces the concept of planetary boundaries, highlighting how industrial agriculture contributes to environmental degradation and surpasses ecological limits.

Tilman, D., & Clark, M. (2014). “Global diets link environmental sustainability and human health.” Nature, 515(7528), 518–522.
Explores the environmental impacts of dietary choices, advocating for sustainable food systems that balance health benefits with reduced ecological harm.

Springmann, M., Clark, M., Mason-D’Croz, D., et al. (2018). “Options for keeping the food system within environmental limits.” Nature, 562(7728), 519–525.
Analyses the global environmental impact of current food systems and proposes sustainable dietary transitions to mitigate climate change, land use, and resource depletion.

Nestle, M. (2007). Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health. University of California Press.
Examines the economic drivers behind food choices and their implications for public health and ethics.

Friel, S., Dangour, A. D., Garnett, T., et al. (2009). “Public health benefits of strategies to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions: Food and agriculture.” The Lancet, 374(9706), 2016–2025.
Discusses the economic and public health benefits of transitioning to sustainable food systems, highlighting reduced disease burden and environmental impact.

Pollan, M. (2008). In Defence of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. Penguin.
Highlights the ethical and systemic costs of industrial agriculture and processed food consumption.

Patel, R. (2007). Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System. Melville House.
Discusses the disparity between overnutrition in wealthy nations and undernutrition in developing countries.

De Schutter, O. (2014). “The transformative potential of the right to food.” Report to the UN Human Rights Council.
Advocates for equitable food systems that prioritise human rights and environmental sustainability.

Holt-Giménez, E., & Shattuck, A. (2011). “Food crises, food regimes and food movements: Rumblings of reform or tides of transformation?” The Journal of Peasant Studies, 38(1), 109–144.
Examines the social and economic inequalities embedded in global food systems, highlighting structural imbalances and the need for transformative change.

Eshel, G., Shepon, A., Makov, T., et al. (2014). “Land, irrigation water, greenhouse gas, and reactive nitrogen burdens of meat, eggs, and dairy production in the United States.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(33), 11996–12001.
Quantifies the resource intensity of animal agriculture, highlighting its high land, water, and nitrogen demands and its environmental consequences.

Foley, J. A., Ramankutty, N., Brauman, K. A., et al. (2011). “Solutions for a cultivated planet.” Nature, 478(7369), 337–342.
Highlights how agricultural expansion for animal feed drives ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss, stressing the need for sustainable land use practices.

Godfray, H. C. J., Aveyard, P., Garnett, T., et al. (2018). “Meat consumption, health, and the environment.” Science, 361(6399), eaam5324.
Discusses the interconnected health and environmental costs of meat consumption, highlighting its impact on chronic disease risk, greenhouse gas emissions, and resource depletion.