This report summarises research from a Synergy Fund project that explored how stakeholders of the Transforming UK Food Systems (TUKFS) programme conceptualise food system failure, and whether there is agreement about the fundamentals of failure. Divergent opinions on the nature of food system failures can lead to differing proposed interventions and ultimately manifest as inertia to transformational change. This research considers alternative conceptualisations of failure from across the programme, and investigates whether an economic conceptualisation of market failure captures food system failings adequately. The project has used a mixed methods approach to engage with stakeholders from across the food system including policy, academia and third sector.
The report provides an overview of the project activities, a questionnaire which captured diverse conceptualisations of market failure from different projects and a workshop which gave space for discussions that critically examined the appropriateness of the market failure lens. This report synthesises findings from both to provide a comprehensive perspective on food system failure in TUKFS.
This report makes visible the challenge of defining how the food system is failing, and shares valuable insights for shaping cross-programme discussion of research and policy on food system transformation.
The synthesis aims to enable more nuanced discussions within the TUKFS programme by providing a common framing and language, ensuring that policy recommendations are informed by both theoretical understanding and practical realities.
Read the Report: Can we agree some fundamentals of food system transformation?
