WEF: CEO Lessons for the Future of Food Procurement

Global food supply chains are being placed under pressure due to geopolitical shifts, population growth, ongoing climate change and natural impacts.

With businesses facing mounting pressure to adapt, the World Economic Forum (WEF) offers a guiding hand.

Together with Bain & Company, WEF's published report offers a vision for how CEOs need to address the sustainability needs and safeguard the future of food supply chains. 

Prioritising responsible procurement

In a recently published Whitepaper titled 'First Movers Coalition for Food: CEO Lessons for the Future of Food Procurement', WEF explores the procurement pathways which can help challenge the food supply chain issues around the world.

Using in-depth Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) interviews and case studies, the report demonstrates how CEOs can utilise their procurement strategies in order to manage supply chain risk. 

Food supply chains were built with stability in mind, but recent years have shown how easily that stability can be disrupted. Due to climate instability, unpredictable financial environments, geopolitical tensions and an increase in consumer demand, global food supply chains are being tested more than ever before.

Businesses are facing growing pressures to adapt, with demand for resilience and sustainability rising every day. As a result, procurement leaders are having to be more strategic with their sourcing decisions, with their choices and methods impacting future resilience. 

"Proven solutions, from regenerative farming practices in row crops to water management and lower-methane approaches in rice, are ready to expand. Yet too many fail to move past the pilot stage," explain Børge Brende, President and CEO of World Economic Forum and Ramon Laguarta, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo.

"Often, what's missing is bold demand-side leadership: strong, credible buying commitments that unlock finance, align value chain partners and give farmers the confidence to invest.

"These approaches can be successful if they are accompanied by consistent dialogue with suppliers and farmers. The lessons outlined in this paper show that understanding their needs, recognising their challenges, supporting relevant services, building relationships and improving soil resilience are all integral to the future of food supply."

The First Movers Coalition for Food (FMC for Food) consists of 60 leading food-system organisations, which includes 26 major buyers and a combined revenue of almost US$1tn. The group will be aiming to transform food procurement, sharing insights and proven pathways on how to implement the best procurement practises to establish food supply chain resilience.

Food chain demands

Today, the food system provides more than 40% of jobs around the world and accounts for approximately 10% of global GDP. However, recent instability has put all of this at risk, with both external shocks and the food system's own challenges proving disruptive. 

Though industrialised agriculture has made it easier to meet demand by boosting productivity, it has also contributed to the instability of the system itself, contributing to resource depletion, climate change and biodiversity loss. According to WEF, agrifood systems produce nearly 30% of global emissions and agriculture contributes to 90% of tropical deforestation, as well as 70% of global freshwater withdrawals.

More frequent disruptions are making supply lines unstable, both through yields and price rises. Throughout 2025, coffee prices remained near 50-year highs as major producers were hit by droughts. Brazil, which supplies approximately 40%, saw the ruining of harvests, while Vietnam recorded a 20% drop in production in 2024. Ongoing weather concerns are making production more difficult and more unpredictable.

The need to meet consumer demand in the short-term has proven harmful to long-term food supply chain sustainability and resilience. Now, government, investor and consumer priorities are shifting, with more expectations turning towards sustainable farming. In order to simultaneously reduce environmental impact while also boosting company desirability, procurement teams must adapt their strategies and welcome a more sustainable strategy.

All supply chain, sustainability, Scope 3 and net zero leaders should attend:

• Procurement and Supply Chain LIVE: The Net Zero Summit - QEII Centre, London, March 4-5
• Procurement and Supply Chain LIVE: The US Summit - Navy Pier, Chicago, April 21-22

Co-located with Sustainability LIVE, these events brings together CSCOs, CSOs and senior decision-makers at a moment when sustainability, supply chains and commercial performance are increasingly interconnected.
Tickets can be booked online today for The Net Zero Summit and The US Summit. Group discounts available.

Making valuable changes

Consumer preferences can have a major influence on how brands interact with their strategy. A Bain & Company survey of 14,000 consumers across eight countries demonstrated that 63% of respondents would buy sustainable products more often if they were more affordable. Another B&Co. survey found that 68% of buyers would opt for suppliers with thorough sustainable operations by 2028 - an increase from 39% the year prior. 

By taking these early steps to adapt, procurement teams are staying ahead of the curve and experiencing a better market opportunity:

• Building sourcing maturity to scale - using a three-step maturity ladder, businesses can learn how to embed resilient and sustainable sourcing across operations. This is about continuous learning, finding what works and accelerating it.
• Identify strategic sourcing pathways for scale - businesses can choose between two pathways for spec-anchored (embedding sustainability requirements directly into sourcing specifications) and/or decoupled sourcing (focusing investments while separating sustainability efforts from procurement specifications). This focuses on how buyers engage suppliers and how to integrate sustainability.
• Calibrate strategy and prioritise sourcing pathway - companies need to understanding sourcing context and characteristics in order to learn how best to build resilience.
• Strengthen partnerships and align operations - by driving strong collaboration across corporate functions and peers, companies can find new ways of working to establish better sustainability opportunities.

By planning ahead, procurement teams can embed resilience and sustainability as core sourcing priorities. This can lead to a clear strategy, opening their business up to new collaboration and smarter sourcing relationships.