FSF Institute Responds to Climate Monitor Report: Insets Drive Sustainable Food System Transformation

MEDIA STATEMENT

June 6, 2025

Chicago, Illinois. In response to the newly released Corporate Climate Responsibility Monitor 2025: Agrifood Sector Deep Dive by the New Climate Institute and Carbon Market Watch, the Food Systems for the Future Institute (FSF Institute) today urges all stakeholders, policy makers, financiers and broader climate community actors to recognize the fundamental role of insets in driving measurable, science-aligned emissions reductions across food and agriculture value chains.

While the CCRM report raises valid concerns around transparency and ambition in emissions reporting, FSF Institute emphasizes that the report fails to sufficiently distinguish between carbon offsets, which are external to the value chain, and insets, which reduce emissions at the source—on farms and within supplier systems.

“In food systems, insets are not a workaround—they are the solution,” said Ertharin Cousin, FSF Institute CEO and Managing Director. “They reduce emissions at the source while improving soil health and increasing farmer prosperity.”

Insets refer to direct investments in practices that reduce or remove greenhouse gas emissions within a company’s own supply chain —such as regenerative agriculture and improved nutrient management— which represent critical, impactful investments. Notable commitments include Nestlé’s CHF 1.2 billion investment in regenerative agriculture and Danone France’s €40 million investment supporting agroecological transitions.

FSF Institute and Boston Consulting Group’s joint 2024 white paper, “Five Actions to Spur Catalytic Change in the Agrifood System,” emphasizes that insets are the most impactful and scalable solution for agrifood companies to achieve significant emissions reductions, enhance soil health, improve climate resilience, and support farmer livelihoods.

FSF Institute urges policymakers, investors, and climate advocates to actively support the transition to insets as a core mechanism for food system decarbonization. “By prioritizing insets, agrifood companies are not outsourcing responsibility—they’re investing in transformation at the root level of the global food supply,” concluded Cousin.

For more information, please contact Erika Contreras, Communications Manager at Food Systems for the Future, at erika@fsfinstitute.net