A landmark open-access study published on 31 October 2025 in Nature Food offers the first comprehensive scientific assessment of what constitutes a safe operating space for global food systems. The article, “Identifying the safe operating space for food systems,” brings together leading experts in food systems, planetary boundaries, and Earth system science.
Among the co-authors is Dr. Marco Springmann (UCL) — a colleague and collaborator in both the ACT4CAP27 and BrightSpace Horizon Europe projects — whose expertise in sustainability modelling and food-system transformation contributed to the study’s integrated assessment approach.
The research provides a full set of Food System Boundaries (FSBs) across all nine Planetary Boundaries, concluding that today’s global food systems are operating beyond all of them. The authors show that agriculture and food supply chains are dominant drivers of environmental pressures such as biodiversity loss, land-system change, freshwater overuse, biogeochemical flows, climate change, and novel entities (including pesticides and antimicrobial residues).
Importantly, the study highlights where and how food systems can transition back into a safe space—through actions such as halting the conversion of intact ecosystems, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving nutrient-use efficiency, cutting pesticide and antimicrobial use, and restoring critical freshwater cycles.
Three Horizon Europe Projects Supporting Cutting-Edge Food System Science
In the article’s Acknowledgements, among the many funders the authors also recognise EU funding through three Horizon Europe projects that are driving forward the science and policy interface for sustainable food systems:
- ACT4CAP27 – Advancing Capacity and analytical Tools for supporting Common Agricultural Policies post 2027 (GA Nr. 101134874)
- BrightSpace – Designing a Roadmap for Effective and Sustainable Strategies for Assessing and Addressing the Challenges of EU Agriculture to Navigate within a Safe and Just Operating Space (GA Nr.101060075)
- CATALYSE – Climate Action To Advance HeaLthY Societies in Europe (GA NR. 101057131)
These projects are helping advance integrated modelling frameworks, scenario development, and policy-relevant analyses — all essential components for assessing environmental limits and defining transformation strategies for agriculture and food systems.
Why This Matters
The findings of the study reinforce the urgency of systemic food system transformation and provide a scientific foundation for policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders engaged in shaping the future of agriculture. For ACT4CAP27, BrightSpace and CATALYSE, the publication represents a shared achievement and a valuable scientific contribution to the broader mission of creating resilient, equitable, and environmentally sustainable food systems in Europe and worldwide.
The article is available open access through Nature Food and also deposited to the Zenodo Community pages of the ACT4CAP27 and BrightSpace projects.
🔗 Read the full article: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-025-01252-6
🔗 Visit the ACT4CAP27 Zenodo Community page: https://zenodo.org/communities/act4cap27-eu-project/ that is part of EU Open Research Repository
🔗 Visit the BrightSpace Zenodo Community page: https://zenodo.org/communities/brightspace-eu-project/ that is part of EU Open Research Repository
Visit the project websites for more information:
🔗 ACT4CAP27: https://act4cap27.eu/ | 🔗 BrightSpace: https://brightspace-project.eu/ | 🔗 CATALYSE: https://catalysehorizon.eu/
