Volume 4 Issue 5, May 2023

Better use of nitrogen fertilizers is key to tackling the challenge of feeding a growing world population without impairing planetary sustainability. Advanced nitrogen management and dietary changes could substantially increase Earth’s feeding capacity.

The time has come to include the wellbeing of animals in cost–benefit evaluations that inform agricultural policy. By doing so, we would account for those with the most to gain — or lose — from our choices.

By analysing recipes, it is possible to gain insights into the impacts of food preparation and consumption in different geographical contexts.

The double burden of malnutrition affects one-third of children globally. Knowledge on children’s current food consumption and related sociodemographic factors can guide actions towards improving children’s lifelong nutrition and health, and promote environmentally sustainable diets.

Empirical analyses of historical yields paired with manipulative experiments reveal that extreme rainfall reduces rice yields in China by physically disturbing the panicle and by reducing available soil nitrogen. Such mechanistic understanding aids prediction and mitigation of damages from climate change.

A wireless miniaturized sensor can report a ‘spoiler alert’ via a mobile phone by detecting volatile biogenic amines that are produced by spoiled protein-rich foods, providing a feasible solution to identify and prevent food spoilage and promote food safety.

The condition of food is checked using standard laboratory tests — which are not regularly available to supply-chain personnel or end customers. A miniaturized sensor of spoilage in protein-rich foods, which leverages advances in polymer engineering and low-cost sensing, will enable more frequent and accessible testing, improving food safety and quality control.

Genome assemblies, genetic variations, and metabolome and metal ion profiles were generated for diverse pigmented Asian rice varieties. An early maturing, shorter-stature black rice variety was created using CRISPR–Cas9-mediated genome editing, providing insights for improving Asian pigmented rice.

Nitrogen limitation is a key determinant of agriculture’s feeding capacity. Modelling simulations of feed–food competition, grassland-to-cropland allocation and nitrogen management strategies reveal how many people could be fed under organic versus industrial fertilization and other farming practices.

The exact location and extent of cocoa plantations in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, the world’s largest producers, remain unknown in spite of their social, economic and environmental relevance. New satellite-based high-resolution maps generated through a deep learning framework link cocoa cultivation with deforestation in protected areas and show that official reports underestimate the total planted area.

The hidden costs of current diets, or the cost saving associated with the adoption of low-carbon diets, remain unknown. This study combines life cycle assessment and monetarization factors to quantify the indirect costs of nine global dietary change strategies which progressively reduce animal-sourced foods, including consumption-linked health burden from changes in diet-related disease risk.

Individuals’ food choices are typically based on recipes, not specific ingredients. This study compares almost 600 dinner recipes from the UK, the USA and Norway in terms of healthiness and environmental impact—including adherence to dietary guidelines and aggregate health indicators, as well as greenhouse gas emissions and land use.

Using data from long-term nationwide observations and multi-level rainfall manipulative experiments, this study reveals that rice yield reductions due to extreme rainfall in China were comparable to those induced by extreme heat over the past two decades. Further projections highlight the increasing risk of rice yield reductions induced by extreme rainfall by the end of this century.

Standard tests to determine food spoilage are costly and time consuming. A poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride)-based sensor offers a low-cost alternative that can be linked to mobile phones for real-time spoilage analysis. The device was tested on chicken and beef samples under various storage conditions.