SDG 2 and ISO/UNDP 53001: ‘Zero hunger’ through the audit lens
SDG 2 matters first to organisations that grow, process, distribute or serve food. In an ISO/UNDP 53001 system, the auditor checks that this priority rests on an issue identified in the organisation's own supply chain, that it is turned into quantified objectives, and that supplier data genuinely allow the stated results to be followed.
Updated: · edition covered: ISO/UNDP 53001:2026
What SDG 2 covers
Second of the 17 goals of the 2030 Agenda, adopted in 2015, SDG 2 is called ‘Zero hunger’. It brings together three subjects that organisations often handle in separate departments: food security, the nutritional quality of what people eat, and the sustainability of agricultural production, including farmers' incomes.
That breadth is what makes an ISO 53001 SDG 2 audit demanding. A dairy cooperative, a contract caterer and a food bank do not contribute to the same strand of the goal. The auditor expects the organisation to state which strand it has chosen, and why.
Who selects SDG 2, and for which strand
| Organisation | Strand of SDG 2 | Typical issue |
|---|---|---|
| Farming cooperative, agricultural trader | Sustainable production, farm incomes | Price paid to growers, cultivation practices, resilience to weather events |
| Food manufacturer | Nutrition, sourcing | Product composition, reliance on a handful of raw materials |
| Contract catering | Nutrition, access | Quality of meals served in schools, hospitals and care homes |
| Food retail | Access, supply chains | Price of staple products, contracts with producers |
| Food aid charities | Access | Reach among people in need, quality of food handed out |
A priority justified under clause 4
The ISO/UNDP 53001 standard follows the ISO harmonized structure: choosing a priority SDG draws on the analysis of context (4.1) and of interested parties (4.2). For SDG 2, those parties often sit far from the audited site: growers, diners, families receiving aid. The auditor checks that they appear in the analysis described in clause 4 and that their expectations were gathered rather than assumed.
Objectives set under clause 6 (planning) then need to speak about the organisation's own supply chain: share of volumes bought under multi-year contracts, change in the nutritional profile of a product range, number of meals meeting a defined specification. Following those results up falls under clause 9.
Questions put during the audit
- Which strand of SDG 2 has the organisation chosen, and what analysis supports that choice?
- Do the objectives target clearly named products, supply chains or groups of people?
- Where do the data come from: supplier declarations, laboratory tests, internal records? Has their reliability been assessed?
- Has top management made decisions with the objective in mind, for example when listing a supplier or changing a recipe?
- Do buyers and quality managers know the objective and how it is measured?
Frequent gaps on SDG 2
- SDG 2 is reduced to cutting food waste, with no demonstrated link to food security or farm incomes.
- ‘Sustainable agriculture’ is never defined: no criterion allows a purchase to be classified.
- Supplier data are taken at face value, without consistency checks or sampling.
- Food donations are counted in tonnes without anyone examining whether they match what recipients need.
SDGs and requirements to read next
- SDG 1 and ISO/UNDP 53001: ‘No poverty’ through the audit lensSelecting SDG 1 in an ISO/UNDP 53001 system means linking poverty to what the organisation really does: the pay it sets, what it buys, who can reach its services and where it operates.
- SDG 12 and ISO/UNDP 53001: responsible consumption and production through the audit lensWith SDG 12, the ISO 53001 audit follows the organisation's flows: materials bought, products designed, waste generated, information given to customers.
- SDG 15 and ISO/UNDP 53001: life on land through the audit lensWhen an organisation selects SDG 15 in its ISO 53001 system, the auditor looks at what it does to soils, forests and biodiversity, on its own sites and in its supply chains.
- ISO/UNDP 53001 clause 6: what the auditor checksISO 53001 clause 6 deals with planning.
Frequently asked questions
Does food waste belong under SDG 2 or SDG 12?
Both, depending on the angle. When cutting waste serves access to food, for instance through donations, it can be linked to SDG 2. When it is about resource efficiency, it fits SDG 12 better. The auditor checks that the organisation has made this choice explicitly and that the indicator matches the objective to which it is attached.
Does a catering company have to cover all its sites?
The boundary is set by the scope defined under clause 4. If an SDG 2 objective is announced for every site, the auditor samples several restaurants to confirm that data exist everywhere. An objective limited to a few sites is acceptable, as long as external communication does not extend it to the whole group.
Are farm product certifications enough as an indicator?
They can feed an indicator, such as the share of purchases carrying a given label. The auditor then checks that the label really corresponds to the SDG 2 strand selected, that suppliers' certificates are valid, and that the organisation does more than count logos without asking what they change for the supply chain.