Researchers identify five barriers slowing Europe’s food system transformation

Despite ambitious climate, health and sustainability targets across Europe, progress towards transforming the food system remains stubbornly slow. New research published in Nature Food suggests the problem may lie less in a lack of ambition and more in a food system trapped by five powerful structural barriers.

The study, led by researchers from Aarhus University, Wageningen University & Research and the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE), identifies five key “lock-ins” that continue to slow change across the agrifood sector. The findings suggest that many of the sustainability, health and resilience challenges facing Europe’s food sector stem from systemic barriers that individual businesses cannot address alone.

If you only look at agriculture and not at the entire food chain from soil to plate, you lose coherence. That is a fundamental structural challenge.” 

Bart de Steenhuijsen Piters from Wageningen University & Research

The researchers identified five key barriers: fragmented policymaking, entrenched dietary habits, market structures that prioritise short-term efficiency, environmental costs excluded from food prices, and growing exposure to climate and geopolitical shocks.

Europe’s agrifood sector faces mounting pressure from climate change, biodiversity loss, environmental degradation and rising rates of diet-related disease. At the same time, businesses and policymakers must balance demands for affordable food, food security, climate action and economic competitiveness.

“There is broad agreement that Europe’s food supply needs to change. Yet regulatory frameworks are very conservative, meaning that change happens far too slowly. That tension is what we have tried to understand in this study,” said Sophie Nicklaus from the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE).

The research brings together expertise from natural sciences, social sciences and nutrition research to examine barriers across the entire food chain, from primary production and processing to consumption and regulation. In total, 34 researchers from Denmark, France and the Netherlands contributed to the study.

Why good intentions aren’t enough

One of the most significant barriers is fragmented policymaking. Agricultural, environmental, health, trade and food policies often operate independently of one another, creating conflicting priorities and slowing system-wide change.

“If you only look at agriculture and not at the entire food chain from soil to plate, you lose coherence,” explained Bart de Steenhuijsen Piters from Wageningen University & Research. “That is a fundamental structural challenge.”

The study also highlights the challenge of shifting consumer behaviour. Although demand for healthier and more sustainable diets is growing, factors such as affordability, availability, convenience, culture and marketing continue to influence purchasing decisions.

Meanwhile, many parts of the food system remain geared towards efficiency, scale and low-cost production. While this approach has helped make food affordable and accessible, the researchers argue that it can discourage investment in longer-term priorities such as soil health, biodiversity and climate resilience.

Jørgen E. Olesen from Aarhus University added: “When short term efficiency is rewarded, it becomes difficult to invest in solutions that only pay off in the long term, such as soil health, biodiversity, climate stability and human health.”

The researchers also argue that food prices rarely reflect wider environmental impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss and degradation of soil and water resources. This continues to place sustainable alternatives at a competitive disadvantage.

Turning ambition into action

Rather than proposing a single technological fix, the team calls for a more coordinated approach to transformation. The study outlines five guiding principles: improving access to healthy, sustainable and affordable food; involving all stakeholders in decision-making; strengthening transparency and accountability; using Europe’s agrifood diversity as a strength; and prioritising shared societal benefits.

“What is special is that we are not looking for a single technical solution,” said Sophie Nicklaus. “Instead, we offer recommendations in the form of principles that can be used by many different actors, because the problems are interconnected.”

The researchers point to initiatives such as Denmark’s Green Tripartite Agreement, alongside partnerships promoting healthier diets and local food systems, as examples of how these principles are already being applied.

Jørgen E. Olesen concluded: “This is not only about new technologies. It is about leadership, priorities and the courage to work with the entire picture.”