Global leaders gathered at the True Cost Accounting Summit in Rome, April 2025

The True Cost Accounting (TCA) Global Summit, held on April 15–16, 2025, at the FAO headquarters in Rome, convened global leaders to advance the integration of hidden environmental, social, and economic costs into food system decision-making. Organized by the TCA Accelerator and hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the summit aimed to identify strategic actions for scaling TCA by 2030.

Key Themes and Discussions

• Hidden Costs of Agrifood Systems: FAO estimates that the hidden costs of global agrifood systems total at least $10 trillion annually—costs borne by people, nature, and economies.

• Scaling TCA Implementation: The summit focused on identifying barriers to scaling TCA and developing concrete solutions to mainstream its adoption by 2030.

• Peer-to-Peer Dialogues: Leaders from diverse regions and sectors shared success stories and strategies for implementing TCA, reflecting on how it contributed to improved decision-making and outcomes.

• Workshops and Breakout Sessions: Participants engaged in interactive sessions to co-create roadmaps for scaling TCA, identifying specific contributions and resources needed to meet the goal of mainstreaming TCA by 2030.

Conclusions and Outcomes

• Commitment to Mainstreaming TCA: Attendees reaffirmed the importance of integrating TCA into policy, business, and financial decision-making to promote sustainability and profitability.

• Development of a TCA Roadmap: The summit facilitated the creation of a roadmap outlining actions and strategies to scale TCA implementation globally by 2030.

• Strengthened Global Collaboration: The event fostered collaboration among policymakers, business leaders, researchers, and financiers, enhancing collective efforts to transform food systems.

The summit underscored the urgency of addressing the hidden costs of food systems and the potential of TCA to guide more sustainable and equitable decision-making.

For more information, you can visit the official summit website: summit.tcaaccelerator.org.