The Food Systems NDC Scorecard launches initial assessments ahead of the UN secretary-general’s climate summit
NEW YORK — Today, Mercy For Animals, alongside partners Center for Biological Diversity, EAT, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition and Global Law Alliance for Animals and the Environment at Lewis & Clark Law School, launched the first batch of assessments from the Food Systems NDC Scorecard. This pioneering tool evaluates how Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) incorporate food systems into climate action.
Food systems — responsible for roughly one-third of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions — are a critical yet often missing component of national climate plans. Many countries’ climate strategies address only a narrow segment of food systems, limiting their ability to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.
The sixth assessment report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that “even if fossil fuel emissions were eliminated immediately, food system emissions alone would jeopardize the achievement of the 1.5ºC target and threaten the 2ºC target.” The Food Systems NDC Scorecard provides a clear, structured framework for assessing food systems integration in NDCs. Effective NDCs should do the following:
- Take action at all stages of the food system — including production, consumption and food loss and waste.
- Address context-specific challenges, considering both the nature of each country’s food system and the country’s overall capacity and responsibility to act.
- Promote synergies with food systems and avoid maladaptation risks.
- Ensure equity and foster an inclusive development process, both essential for success in food systems.
“First and foremost, we need ambitious NDCs that tackle emissions from all sectors,” said Oliver Camp, environment and food systems advocacy advisor at Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition. “But let’s not miss opportunities for co-benefits across sustainable development goals. When it comes to food systems, NDCs also present a great opportunity to connect across the climate and nutrition agendas to drive positive outcomes for both people and the planet.”
The initial assessments of 10 NDCs reveal that many governments have addressed only a narrow portion of the food system, often agricultural production, and frequently neglect to address food distribution, consumption and waste reduction. This approach risks leaving massive mitigation and adaptation opportunities untapped.
Shifting diets — particularly toward more plant-based consumption — is recognized as a high-impact climate strategy by the IPCC. However, scorecard findings reveal that, among countries with diets linked to high emissions, very few include measures addressing this transition. Switzerland stands out as a leading example, integrating strong policies at the intersection of climate and diet.
“Food systems are a critical lever for climate action,” said Amelia Linn, director of global policy at Mercy For Animals. “The scorecard exposes the urgent need for countries to integrate comprehensive approaches that encompass all stages of the food system — from improving production to shifting diets — into their NDCs. Without this, ambitious climate targets remain out of reach.”
Despite innovative policies in individual countries, the analysis highlights concerning activities, such as expanding agricultural frontiers, intensifying animal agriculture and applying controversial methane-accounting methodologies that could undercut climate and biodiversity goals. Stephanie Feldstein, population and sustainability director at the Center for Biological Diversity, cautions:
The continued reliance of some countries on short-sighted, false solutions, like sacrificing critical carbon sinks and biodiversity for agricultural expansion or increasing pollution-heavy industrial animal agriculture could unravel the progress that’s been made in acknowledging food systems in climate goals. The NDC scorecard shows the importance of meaningful action across the food system to truly address its role in the climate crisis and improve the health of people and the planet.
Developed collaboratively with Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Center for Biological Diversity, EAT and Global Law Alliance for Animals and the Environment at Lewis & Clark Law School, the Food Systems NDC Scorecard serves as a practical roadmap for countries to strengthen their food systems policies for more effective climate action.
“NDCs drive both the implementation of the Paris Agreement’s temperature goal and national climate priorities and actions; for this reason, they must holistically integrate climate-friendly food systems policies,” notes Professor Erica Lyman from the Global Law Alliance for Animals and the Environment at Lewis & Clark Law School.
While NDCs are crucial as policy instruments, turning these commitments into effective on-the-ground action requires strong implementation. Accordingly, an ambitious NDC alone does not guarantee impact; effective action depends equally on how these plans are put into practice, just as the ambitiousness of action is not limited to the content of an NDC.
The first set of assessments, released today during Climate Week NYC, comprises Brazil, Kenya, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. The remaining four assessments will be published in October, ahead of COP30 in Belém this November.
Fabrice DeClerck, science director at EAT, highlights the urgency and potential of coordinated food system action: “Food is the nexus of human health, environmental sustainability and social justice. Shifts to healthy diets from regenerative production practices are our best-bet solutions for addressing human health and well-being, as well as climate and biodiversity, with enormous untapped synergies. It’s time for countries to think big on food system actions in their NDCs.”
For more information and to view the country assessments, visit FoodSystemsNDCScorecard.org.
To request embargoed access, exclusive interviews or additional materials, please contact [email protected].
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Mercy For Animals is a leading international nonprofit working to end industrial animal agriculture by constructing a just and sustainable food system. Active in Brazil, Canada, India, Mexico, Southeast Asia and the United States, the organization has conducted over 100 investigations of factory farms and slaughterhouses, influenced over 500 corporate policies and helped pass historic legislation to ban cages for farmed animals. Learn more at MercyForAnimals.org.
