ELTA SMITH
Food systems and food policy researcher and writer.
Recent Articles
I write about the future of food and the connections between our food systems, the environment and public health.
It’s Time to Choose: Why Food System Transformation Can’t Wait
During the Second World War, the UK reshaped farming, land use, and diets with unprecedented speed in reaction to unforeseen events. We need that scale…
Playing With Our Food: How Serious Games Expose Food System Vulnerabilities
In recent years, we’ve witnessed empty supermarket shelves, panic buying, and supply chain failures that would have seemed impossible a decade ago. Chronic vulnerabilities in…
From Charity to Rights: How European Food Strategies are Making Food Security a Reality
Parents skipping meals to feed their children, healthcare workers relying on food banks, middle-income families struggling to afford fresh produce—these increasingly common realities reflect something…
A Wake-up Call from Industry Insiders: Food System Vulnerability Demands Immediate Action
Industry insiders sounded the alarm earlier this month when an anonymous group of food industry executives released a whistleblowing memo, warning of unprecedented threats to…
Strategic Policy and Research Advisory
on food, the environment and human health
I’m Elta Smith, an independent researcher and writer who generates ideas and produces insights for people who care deeply about food, the environment and human health.
Projects
My projects have addressed pressing issues related to antimicrobial resistance, climate change, open science, emerging technologies, biodiversity, and consumer behaviours. I believe that making better decisions means embracing complexity and the interrelationships between what we know and how we act
