Most of the world’s food is eaten in cities. By 2050, that share is expected to reach 80%. Yet the systems that feed city residents are falling short.
More than 2.8 billion people can’t afford a healthy diet and most of them live in and around cities. Rates of diet-related diseases have doubled in three decades, while a third of all food produced is lost or wasted before it reaches people’s plates.
These systems are adding to the climate crisis, with food accounting for around a third of global emissions. Without decisive action, food-related emissions in C40 cities could rise by 38% by 2050, and it’s often the residents with the least who feel them first.
Cities are already changing this. They run school kitchens and hospital canteens, support surplus food recovery and redistribution, and are often the single biggest buyers of food in their area. Across C40 cities, mayors are ensuring healthy, affordable food is available to all, cutting waste, strengthening local food economies, and building food systems that can better serve the people and places we love.
Helping everyone benefit from a better food system
Cities feed people every day through schools, hospitals and other public services. When they change what goes into those meals, the impact adds up. Eating more plant-rich food is one of the simplest ways to improve public health, with the potential to prevent millions of early deaths each year.
Through the C40 Good Food Cities Accelerator, 16 cities have committed to serving healthier, more sustainable food by 2030 and halving food waste. Seven of them, together serving more than 400 million meals a year, have already cut their meat purchases by 19% and increased plant-based protein purchases by 44%. The school meals work has also created nearly 2,000 jobs per 100,000 children fed.
Beyond this, consumer-facing businesses, including retailers, restaurants and cafes, distribute up to 85% of the food eaten in cities, so cities are also working with businesses to make plant-rich options the most accessible, affordable and appealing choice. Five cities have already launched new initiatives to help businesses offer more plant-rich food.
In Africa, Asia and Latin America, the 13 cities in the C40 Thriving Food Systems Accelerator have committed to providing healthy meals for every child, upgrading markets and partnering with neighbouring municipalities to build food systems that tackle both hunger and climate change. This means more residents can get nutritious food and more people can earn a living from it.
Real city action
Since 2023, Nairobi has served more than 37 million free, healthy plant-based meals to children in its public primary schools. The city-led programme uses locally relevant ingredients and recipes, giving children a nutritious meal every school day.
In São Paulo, schools are serving more plant-rich meals. Around 1 million children across 4,000 schools are expected to benefit, with emissions from those meals falling by 22.3%. The food is bought from 4,000 families in the surrounding region, keeping money in the local economy.
New York City has made plant-based meals the default option in its public hospitals. In the first year, food-related emissions dropped by 36%.
Milan runs award-winning neighbourhood Food Waste Hubs that collect surplus food and pass it on to local families and charities.
In Hong Kong, the Food Wise campaign works with restaurants and food businesses to set waste reduction goals and certifies those that follow through. Businesses save money and residents don’t need to change what they eat.
When cities make healthy food the easy and affordable option, people see the benefits quickly, resulting in better meals for children, less waste and more local jobs.
Related
Find data, tools, case studies, and how-to guides to understand, create, or improve access to good, green jobs.
Cities worldwide are proving that climate action is most successful when equity and fairness are at the heart of every decision.
Commitments by C40 cities to drive ambitious climate results and halve fossil fuel use by 2030.
