About Food Research

We are what we eat.

Food systems have both direct and indirect effects on human health and wellbeing. Perhaps the most notable direct impacts relate to food intake and nutrition. Worldwide, malnutrition in all its forms, is the leading cause of poor health. 

A 2019 report published in The Lancet medical journal documented a “syndemic” of obesity, malnutrition, and climate change. 

Today, food scarcities and obesity affect roughly 2 billion people. In low- and middle-income countries, more than 150 million children are stunted due to insufficient nutritional intake. In high income countries, overconsumption of meat has been linked to higher rates of heart disease, cancer, and obesity, especially in the United States. Increased use of pesticides has also been directly associated with reproductive risks, cancer, neurodevelopment disorders, and immunodeficiencies.