// Latest Posts

Eating Your Way to a Greener Future

This post is by Natasha Cheater, a final year undergraduate BA Liberal Arts student at the University of Nottingham, with a keen interest in food supply chain, and the quality of the food we eat. If you value your well-being, care about the planet, and wish to contribute to positive change, this article is for …

Can Agriculture Save the Planet? Insights from COP28 and Beyond

This post is by the Food Systems Institute Director, Jack A Bobo As the world’s attention turns to the COP28 conference in Dubai, a pivotal event in the environmental calendar, the focus on sustainable food systems has never been more critical. The Emirates Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate action, a ground …

Time to diversify rather than demonize our dietary protein sources

This blog is by Professors Andrew Salter and John Brameld. Andrew Salter is an Emeritus Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry, School of Biosciences at the University of Nottingham. John Brameld is a Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry at the School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham Global protein consumption trends Consumption of protein of appropriate quality, in terms …

“I guess it’s quite trendy”: New research explores young meat-eaters’ sustainable food consumption habits.

This post is by Dr Qian Yang, Assistant Professor in Sensory and Consumer Science and Hannah Ford, PhD student in Sensory and Consumer Science. Consumers are influential in determining the success of new products and future food trends. As the market for sustainable food continues to expand, there is a need to understand how consumers’ …

Fungi alternatives could diversify sustainable sources of protein to feed the world

This post is by Professor Paul Dyer, Professor of Fungal Biology at the University of Nottingham. Our food system feeds 8 billion people each day, but this comes at ever increasing environmental costs in terms of land, water, greenhouse gas emissions, and biodiversity loss. With the rising global population and soaring demand for protein, there …

Will meat alternatives ever taste as good as meat?

This post is by Professor Ian Fisk, Professor of Flavour Science at the University of Nottingham. When we are asked to think of the flavour of meat, we might come up with its characteristic aroma during cooking. However, the overall flavour that we perceive is very complex and is a mix of multiple sensory attributes; …

Including unexploited novel high protein crops in the alternative protein revolution

This blog is by Professor Festo Massawe the University of Nottingham Malaysia. The global plant-based proteins market is estimated to reach $162 billion by 2030 (Bloomberg Intelligence, 2021). North America and Europe are the largest markets, with the Asia-Pacific region set to be the fastest growing plant-based protein market in the coming years. The current …

Nourishing the Future: Alternative Proteins and Global Agriculture Challenges

This post is by Jack Bobo, the Nottingham International Centre for Alternative Proteins lead and Director, Food Systems Institute. As our global population continues to grow, so does the demand for food. Agriculture is facing unprecedented challenges, from climate change and resource scarcity to land degradation and biodiversity loss. To meet these challenges, we must …

Goodbye to the Future Food Beacon and welcome to the Food Systems Institute

In 2017 the University of Nottingham launched its six ‘Beacons of Excellence’, including the Future Food Beacon. This represented a very different approach by the University to research funding, which directed its own money toward areas in which we already had considerable expertise, and that could be expanded to become globally recognised as a world–leading. …

Transforming our food systems

In 2017, the University of Nottingham launched the Future Food Beacon to help address the challenge of sustainably and nutritiously feeding a growing world population. After six years laying the research foundation and building partnerships and a research pipeline, the University is launching the University of Nottingham Food Systems Institute to take an interdisciplinary approach …