Mike Barry and Ali Morpeth encouraged 10 leading food thinkers to open up about the barriers to healthy sustainable diets and what can be done to overcome them. So, what did they discover?
Footprint. Your new whitepaper distils the insights of 10 global food system leaders. What did you hope to achieve from the conversations and why is this different to other papers in this (crowded) food transformation space?
Ali Morpeth (AM). Our aim was to shift the conversation from identifying problems to showcasing solutions — highlighting how leading decision-makers are actually delivering change at the intersection of health and sustainability, and giving our audience across the value chain a practical roadmap of actions that work and can be scaled. We spoke to 10 global visionaries — from retailers, brand, policy and NGO to move us beyond data into practical pathways that businesses and others can use. As Gunhild Stordalen, founder of EAT, reminded us, the science is already clear through the EAT-Lancet Commission: diets that are better for people are also better for the planet. What’s been missing is the how. That’s what we set out to capture.
Mike Barry (MB). What makes this paper different is two things. First, we are positioning it as the first six-monthly barometer of progress towards healthy and sustainable diets, so the sector has a regular reference point on what’s working, what’s stalling, and where leadership is emerging. Second, we focus on the ‘basket-level lens’: rather than narrow product-by-product tweaks, we show how businesses can integrate health and sustainability into the overall basket or diet. This is where we see commercial resilience, policy influence, and genuine system change starting to emerge.
Footprint. Can you outline any key findings of interest to food companies, in particular foodservice and catering?
MB. Although our interviews focused on retail, brand and policy, the lessons travel directly into foodservice and catering, who are often the closest touchpoint to everyday diets in schools, hospitals, workplaces and hospitality. For me, there were three stand-out findings.
1. Capability building drives scale. Leaders told us transformation of portfolios and ultimately business models only works when skills are embedded across whole organisations, not just in sustainability teams. For catering, this means equipping commercial teams, chefs, buyers and menu developers. The example we include in our whitepaper of Compass Group reformulating 90,000 recipes with sustainability data, shows what’s possible.
2. Food environments shape choice. As Anna Taylor of The Food Foundation put it: it’s the balance of what’s on offer that really matters. Retailers are redesigning shelf space and promotions; caterers can apply the same principle in canteens and menus by making the healthy, sustainable choice the most visible, tasty and convenient.
3. Portfolio or menu evolution is critical. The examples we include are from leaders like Ahold Delhaize and Lidl, which are setting explicit targets for plant/animal protein splits to address health and sustainability. Foodservice can mirror this shift by rebalancing menus towards planetary health diets while keeping taste and affordability at the centre.
Footprint. If you are being pushed, what one message came through strongest and why should food businesses take note of it?
AM. The single strongest message was this: health and sustainability are inseparable — and must be delivered together, at scale. Our interviews showed that when companies act at the basket level, they create reinforcing cycles: healthier diets, lower emissions and benefits for nature, reduced costs, and more resilient supply chains. Anna Turrell of the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) put it simply: “We’ve massively overcomplicated food transformation. We need a galvanising North Star.” For us that is planetary health diets.
MB. The critical point is this: basket shift is not an ESG add-on – it’s a business model shift. And our interviewees highlighted why it matters: the food system is precarious — facing volatile supply chains, escalating climate shocks, soaring healthcare costs, and consumers losing trust in “business as usual”. The businesses that integrate health and sustainability will be the ones to secure consumer loyalty, investor confidence, and long-term competitiveness in this quickly shifting landscape.
Footprint. Was there anything in the discussions that surprised you, and why?
MB. What struck us both was the candour and courage of the leaders we spoke to. Despite hundreds of sustainability pledges, there is still no single unified pathway to transform the basket – unlike the car industry’s clear pathway from petrol to electric. We were inspired by the leadership qualities we uncovered – many of our interviewees were willing to admit that voluntary efforts aren’t enough. They called openly for regulation, level playing fields, and a more honest reckoning with the true costs of food. That willingness to demand systemic change is a sign of genuine leadership.
AM. And on a human note, one theme kept coming back – from all those we interviewed – that however complex the data, change only sticks when people are driving it: through their commitment, their persistence, and their willingness to do the hard work of progress. It was a timely reminder that systems change lives in the courage, choices and leadership of individuals – and that will in part define the future of our food system.
Footprint. You mentioned that this paper will be followed up on a regular basis. How can more caterers get involved?
AM. Yes – this white paper is just the start. We will publish a barometer every six months as a way of tracking momentum and sharing examples of leadership.
And we would of course welcome more caterers to be part of the conversation as leaders of the transformation towards planetary health diets.
Ali Morpeth is a registered public health nutritionist and Mike Barry is a leader in sustainable change, having helped develop and launch Marks and Spencer’s Plan A programme. They are both co-founders of the Planeatry Alliance. Their first whitepaper is available here.
