Earth Overshoot Day and our food system

24 July 2025 was Earth Overshoot Day, the day where humanity crossed a critical environmental threshold where our use of natural resources has exceeded what the planet can regenerate in a year. For the remainder of the year, we will be operating in ecological debt to sustain humanity’s current lifestyle. Our estimated consumption this year is the equivalent to needing 1.8 Earths to support us.

How does the food system contribute to Earth Overshoot Day?

The global food system is one of the largest contributors to this ecological overshoot with the food system responsible for around a third of all terrestrial emissions.

Industrial agricultural practices are contributing to land use changes, deforestation and a loss of biodiversity with a 75% average decline in global wildlife populations in just 50 years. Nearly half of the world’s habitable land is used for agriculture, of which 80% is used to raise livestock and to grow animal feed. There are an estimated 1.5 billion cows and 25 billion chickens globally, with wild mammals making up a mere 4% of the worlds mammal population. Conventional methods and the use of artificial fertilisers are impacting freshwater availability, water pollution levels and soil health, degrading natural resources quicker than they can recover.

Alongside the changes to support population diet change, nearly one third of global food produced is wasted and so the demand side of the food system is equally a major driver of this ecological imbalance, threatening global food security particularly in countries with a lower income and a limited domestic food biocapacity.

Why is Earth Overshoot Day key for food businesses?

For businesses, Earth Overshoot Day is a signal highlighting extensive risks attributable to climate instability, resource scarcity and supply chain fragility. Climate related disruptions threaten agricultural yields and logistics, and paired with resource scarcities, lead to supply issues and operational risks. However, these risks also pose opportunities for companies’ own transitions, for example to embrace and incorporate regenerative agriculture, circular supply chains and low carbon practices to maintain their reputation and manage the increasing demand and expectations of sustainability and transparency from companies. Scaling regenerative agriculture, halving current food waste levels and shifting dietary patterns to adopt more plant-based foods could ‘move’ the day by an estimated 31.9 days.

Collectively, this will future proof operations putting companies in better stead for long term resilience, subsequently increasing global food security.

The importance of system-wide action

No one business can single-handedly reverse Earth Overshoot Day – collective, system-wide action is required to progress. The ‘Net Zero Transition Plan for the UK Food System’ and the IGD industry Forums are an example of this, convening the food sector to help meet ambitious net zero targets by 2030 and 2050.

For the latest update on progress across the system and where collective action has been critical, A Net Zero Progress Report will be released in the coming months.

The date of Earth Overshoot Day this year serves as a reminder that the current trajectory is unsustainable. How early this day has fallen highlights the urgency for food system transformation through regenerative agriculture, embracing sustainable innovation and supporting population diet change to secure the future of our food that both feeds and sustains humanity, animals and the natural world.