Everywhere you look, "food systems transformation" is the new buzzword. From U.N. conferences to corporate boardrooms, the term is gaining momentum. But behind the headlines, real change remains elusive.

At last summer’s U.N. Food Systems Summit Stocktake in Addis Ababa, world leaders gathered to review progress. But for many, the event also exposed deep tensions.

The Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples’ Mechanism (CSIPM) – a global coalition representing hundreds of grassroots organisations within the U.N. Committee on World Food Security – withdrew from the process, citing concerns that corporate interests were being prioritised over the rights and realities of local communities.