COP30, Food Systems & the Future of Catering: Why Good Food Is a Leadership Decision

This month, the world turns to Belém for COP30, a pivotal moment that may finally place food systems at the centre of the global climate agenda. After decades of negotiations from Kyoto to Paris, there is now widespread recognition that the way we grow, produce and consume food is both a major driver of the climate and nature crises and one of our strongest levers for change. Yet this week’s reports from the summit reveal a familiar contradiction: food vendors sold out before 3pm, with limited plant-based options despite calls for a fully plant-based offering. It’s a symbol of a deeper issue - even in climate spaces, our systems still verbally advocate for transformation without demonstrating it. If leading climate summits can’t model a climate-aligned food system, it exposes how far we still have to go.