From Farm to Food In a world where food contributes to a third of global emissions and is a leading cause of biodiversity loss, Anya Doherty saw an urgent need for change.

It wasn't enough to sit back and watch as the food industry continued to harm the planet. Instead, she launched Foodsteps - a UK-based platform dedicated to helping food businesses tackle their environmental impact head-on.

The idea sparked from Doherty's deep-rooted passion for sustainability and an alarming realisation during her research at Cambridge. "When I realised just how much the food system contributes to the climate and biodiversity crisis, I knew that focusing on food was what mattered most," she explains. And so, in 2019, Foodsteps was born, aiming to help food businesses measure and reduce their environmental impact.

Fast forward to today, and the company has seen remarkable growth - expanding 14-fold since 2021. "Sustainability is no longer a 'nice to have' - it's becoming a business necessity," Doherty says. As food businesses face stricter regulations and increasing pressure to showcase their sustainability credentials, Foodsteps has positioned itself as a go-to platform for businesses looking to navigate this rapidly evolving landscape.

Combine passion and purpose
"I've always been passionate about sustainability, and when I realised just how much the food system contributes to the climate and biodiversity crisis, I knew that focusing on food was what mattered most," Doherty reflects when asked about the inspiration behind launching Foodsteps. As we are becoming increasingly aware, the food system accounts for a third of global emissions and is a leading cause of biodiversity loss. It's a problem that demands immediate action, and for Doherty, this was the driving force behind her decision to start Foodsteps.

Her journey toward launching Foodsteps was grounded in both academic research and personal passion. During her time at Cambridge, Doherty's research into the environmental impact of food systems revealed the true scale of the challenge ahead. "The food system drives a third of global emissions and is the leading cause of biodiversity loss - so if we want to tackle these challenges, we have to start there," she says. This realisation not only solidified her mission to make a difference but also laid the groundwork for the platform she would go on to create.

The platform was designed to help food businesses measure, track, and reduce their environmental impact. By offering powerful data analytics, Foodsteps enables companies to make smarter, more sustainable decisions about their products, from sourcing ingredients to minimizing waste and optimising supply chains. The platform empowers businesses to create transparency, improve sustainability reporting, and work toward their environmental goals with confidence. "Sustainability is no longer a 'nice to have' - it's becoming a business necessity," she explains. As more and more food businesses strive to meet evolving regulations and cater to a more sustainability-conscious market, the need for tools that can accurately measure and report environmental impact has never been greater.

Doherty points to stricter regulations as one of the key factors driving this shift. "Stricter regulations mean food businesses need to measure and report their emissions in more detail than ever before," she says. These regulations are compelling businesses to invest in more sophisticated ways of tracking their environmental footprint, something Foodsteps is well-positioned to support.

At the same time, consumer demand for sustainable products is on the rise. As Doherty highlights, food businesses are increasingly competing on sustainability credentials to win customers, investors, and partners. "That makes accurate, reliable data essential, and this shift has been a key driver of our growth as more food businesses turn to Foodsteps to navigate these changes with confidence," she explains. Foodsteps' ability to provide businesses with reliable and actionable data is one of the primary reasons the platform has seen such rapid adoption.

Food businesses as catalysts for change
As the food industry continues to grapple with its environmental impact, Doherty believes food businesses have a critical role to play. "Food businesses have a huge role to play - they decide what goes into the meals and products that millions of people consume every day," she points out. This influence gives them the power to effect significant change. In the coming years, Doherty predicts that food businesses will become even more focused on sustainability, with reporting on environmental impact moving beyond just greenhouse gas emissions.

"I think we'll see sustainability reporting become more standardised, moving beyond greenhouse gas emissions to more comprehensive environmental metrics, like land use and biodiversity," she says. This shift toward more holistic reporting will allow businesses to provide a clearer picture of their environmental footprint and the steps they are taking to reduce it.

Doherty also believes that food businesses will increasingly differentiate themselves based on the real, measurable impact of their sustainability efforts, rather than just making public pledges. "I also think we'll see businesses differentiating themselves based on real impact reductions, rather than just pledges," she shares. This emphasis on tangible results is already being reflected in sustainability reports and requests for proposals (RFPs), and as reporting capabilities improve, Doherty believes the focus will continue to shift toward progress over promises.

Real-world impact
Foodsteps has worked with several large food industry players to help them measure and reduce their environmental impact, including Compass Group, one of the UK's largest food service companies. "One of the biggest challenges for food businesses is tackling indirect emissions - the ones produced across their supply chains. With supply chains as complex as they are, these emissions are notoriously difficult to measure, let alone reduce," Doherty says. This is where Foodsteps comes in, providing businesses with the data and tools needed to understand and manage their supply chain emissions more effectively.

Doherty provides an example of how Foodsteps helped Compass Group UK&I tackle these challenges. "We helped them analyse millions of lines of food and drink purchasing data in just weeks - something that would have been nearly impossible to do manually with the same level of accuracy," she explains. This data analysis became the foundation for Compass Group's Net Zero Transition Plan, making them the first UK food business to align with new government-backed sustainability standards.

Another example of Foodsteps' impact is Azzurri Group, the parent company of popular restaurant chains like Zizzi and ASK Italian. By improving how they track and measure their food's impact, Foodsteps helped Azzurri reduce their food-related emissions by nearly 7% in just one year. "It's clear proof that better data leads to real-world impact," Doherty adds. These success stories demonstrate the tangible benefits that data-driven sustainability strategies can bring to businesses in the food industry.

Thriving in tough times
For Doherty, the current business environment presents both challenges and opportunities. She acknowledges that startups today face a more difficult landscape than they did five years ago. "The business environment today is much tougher than it was five years ago—budgets are tighter, and businesses are far more selective about where they spend," she says. Despite these challenges, Doherty believes that startups can still thrive by focusing on delivering real value.

"To thrive, a startup has to deliver real value quickly by solving a genuine pain point, demonstrating measurable results, and staying adaptable as customer priorities shift," she advises. At Foodsteps, Doherty and her team are constantly evolving to stay ahead of the curve. Whether it's improving data quality, expanding technology, or developing new solutions to help businesses reach net-zero, Foodsteps is always looking for ways to enhance its offerings and help food businesses navigate the rapidly changing sustainability landscape.

The future of food
As food sustainability continues to grow in importance, Doherty predicts that the industry will see a bigger focus on "beyond-carbon" metrics, such as land use and biodiversity. These areas have always been crucial but are now gaining more attention as companies strive to become more environmentally responsible. "We'll see a much bigger focus on 'beyond-carbon' metrics, particularly land use and biodiversity," she says.

Doherty also points to the potential disruption of highly innovative food products, such as cultivated meat and regenerative products. While there has been early-stage funding and discussion surrounding these technologies, she believes the next few years will be pivotal in determining whether these innovations can scale meaningfully. "There's been a lot of discussion and early-stage funding, but no one has cracked it at scale yet," she notes. As these technologies evolve, Doherty sees the potential for them to reshape the food system, offering new ways to produce and consume food more sustainably.

As Doherty and Foodsteps continue to grow and innovate, one thing is clear: the future of food sustainability is data-driven, actionable, and focused on real impact. Through Foodsteps, she is empowering food businesses to not only meet the growing demand for sustainability but to lead the charge in creating a greener, more sustainable food system. With more businesses focusing on reducing their environmental footprint and embracing the power of data, the path to a sustainable future for food is looking brighter than ever.