Adolescent voices from the workshops demonstrate how, sadly, food systems are failing young people. Although adolescents had some awareness of what constituted a ‘good diet’, several factors overrode this, shaping their food choices and compromising their dietary intake. Individual factors such as taste were key drivers of food choices, with many adolescents preferring ‘tasty’, ultra-processed foods. Food systems played a large role, with cost and availability of food options impacting what adolescents ate. Where unhealthy foods were cheaper and readily available these were often chosen over healthier options that could be more expensive, harder to find or more difficult to prepare. Along with these issues raised, adolescents provided concrete suggestions for changes in nutrition policies and practices, from food systems to investments in nutrition, leading to sustainable improvements in adolescents' health and well-being across the globe. By positioning adolescents as active partners in future work, we can break intergenerational cycles of poor nutrition and achieve sustainable change in adolescents' health and well-being across the globe.