Five Forces Reshaping Food Systems in 2026

The World Economic Forum in Davos was dominated by talks around a paradigm shift in technology, AI and what organisers call ‘geoeconomic confrontation‘. Food systems rarely featured, but the geopolitical forces now influencing the global economy are impacting food security, trade and resilience more than ever.

That reality was captured by the Canadian Prime Minister who told the Forum that the rules-based international order is over, and countries must develop strategic autonomy in energy, food, critical minerals, and finance: ‘A country that cannot feed itself, fuel itself or defend itself has few options‘.

Food systems are now being reorganised around national protectionism, and geopolitical alignment, rather than a shared global vision like the SDGs. The five forces below show how this shift is already reshaping who eats, who trades, who produces – and who is left exposed: