Nature Food: review time and acceptance speed

ISSN 2662-1355 · Nature Portfolio · Multidisciplinary

Half of the articles Nature Food accepted in 2025 were accepted within 371 days of submission (n = 84); the middle half took 270–465 days.

Submission → acceptance (2025)
371 days median
middle half 270–465 · n = 84
Acceptance → online
38 days median
middle half 30–45 · n = 84
Change since 2023
Slower than 2023: the median rose from 260 to 371 days (90% CI +72 to +149 days).
Open access · fees
Hybrid · ≈$12,690

Accepted articles only · dates deposited by the publisher in PubMed · data as of Sep 15, 2026

Plan submissions to a deadline — free

How long does Nature Food take to accept a paper?

days01503004506002021: middle half 192–326 days2452021n=972022: middle half 166–280 days2172022n=832023: middle half 192–320 days2602023n=852024: middle half 220–383 days2902024n=952025: middle half 270–465 days3712025n=84
Line = median; shaded box = middle half of articles (25th–75th percentile). Year of acceptance.
Days from submission to acceptance, by year of acceptance
YearArticles (n)25th pctMedian75th pct90th pctAccepted <14 daysHave a revised date
2025842703714650.0%0%
2024952202903830.0%0%
2023851922603200.0%0%
2022831662172800.0%0%
2021971922453260.0%0%

Distribution in 2025

0–29 days: 0% (0 articles)030–59 days: 0% (0 articles)3060–89 days: 0% (0 articles)6090–119 days: 1% (1 articles)90120–149 days: 0% (0 articles)120150–179 days: 2% (2 articles)150180–209 days: 8% (7 articles)180210–239 days: 6% (5 articles)210240–269 days: 7% (6 articles)240270–299 days: 5% (4 articles)270300–329 days: 12% (10 articles)300330–359 days: 5% (4 articles)330360+ days: 54% (45 articles)360+days from submission to acceptance (30-day bins)
Show as a table
DaysArticlesShare
0–2900.0%
30–5900.0%
60–8900.0%
90–11911.2%
120–14900.0%
150–17922.4%
180–20978.3%
210–23956.0%
240–26967.1%
270–29944.8%
300–3291011.9%
330–35944.8%
360+4553.6%

From acceptance to online publication

After acceptance, half of the 2025 articles appeared online within 38 days (middle half 30–45 days, n = 84).

From submission to online publication, the median was 407 days (middle half 306–504 days, n = 84).

Read these numbers carefully

  • These times describe articles the journal accepted. Rejected manuscripts never appear in public data, so they cannot tell you how long a rejection takes.
  • Dates are the ones the publisher deposited with PubMed. Some publishers record the date a revised manuscript arrived as the submission date, which makes review look faster.
  • Invited articles and special issues can move faster than regular submissions.

Open access status and publishing fees

Hybrid (subscription journal with an open-access option). Listed APC: about $12,690 (as reported by OpenAlex).

Institutions reported paying a median of about $11,797 per article (2023–2025, 7 reported payments in OpenAPC; converted from euros at yearly ECB average rates).

Many journals waive or reduce fees for authors from eligible countries or institutions with publishing agreements — check with the journal and your library.

Integrity and indexing signals

Facts from public records, shown without judgement. See the methodology for why each can be worth a closer look.

Listed in DOAJNo
Articles indexed for MEDLINE in 2025Yes
Retractions0 retracted articles among 825 added to PubMed in 2021–2025 (0.00 per 1,000), per the Retraction Watch Database.
Accepted within 14 days of submission0.0% of 2025 articles
Publication volume163 articles added to PubMed in 2025 (+6% vs 2024).

Topics and scope

Agricultural and Biological Sciences journalsEnvironmental Science journals

Similar journals — faster or cheaper, side by side

Journals publishing on the most similar topics (OpenAlex), ordered by similarity. Only 2025 figures are compared with the 2025 median of Nature Food, 371 days.

Paid APC medianDOAJMEDLINE
BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health160 (2025, n = 71)≈$3,223YesNo
Current Developments in Nutrition102 (2025, n = 170)$5,000$3,614 (14 payments)YesNo
Advances in Nutrition103 (2025, n = 123)≈$5,200$5,041 (10 payments)NoYes
Nutrition Journal141 (2025, n = 199)$3,290YesYes
Journal of Nutritional Science235 (2025, n = 85)$3,655YesYes
European Journal of Nutrition208 (2025, n = 289)≈$2,890NoYes
Frontiers in Nutrition80 (2025, n = 2,700)≈$3,850$3,262 (117 payments)YesNo
BMC Nutrition199 (2025, n = 244)$2,390$1,922 (8 payments)YesNo
npj Science of Food149 (2025, n = 330)$2,890$2,882 (10 payments)YesNo

Frequently asked questions

How long does Nature Food take to accept a paper?

Half of the articles Nature Food accepted in 2025 were accepted within 371 days of submission (n = 84); the middle half took 270–465 days. Based on dates in PubMed for accepted articles only.

How long after acceptance are Nature Food articles published online?

Half of the articles accepted in 2025 appeared online within 38 days of acceptance (n = 84).

Does Nature Food charge an article processing charge (APC)?

Listed APC: about $12,690 (as reported by OpenAlex).

Sources and method

Journal identity: ISSN-L 2662-1355; NLM ID 101761102; OpenAlex record. Speed figures use 84 articles accepted in 2025 with valid dates; excluded records for that year: none.

Spotted a problem with this journal's data, or are you the publisher? Report a correction or email rafiq@gradsummit.com. Verified errors are corrected within five business days.

Get the free Journal Submission Go/No-Go Checklist

The pre-submission checks from Write and Publish a Scientific Paper: journal fit, formatting, cover letter and reviewer suggestions. We’ll email you the download link.

One email with your download, then occasional research tips. One-click unsubscribe, anytime. We never sell your data.

Get Write and Publish a Scientific Paper

Data sources. Submission, acceptance and publication dates: Courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (PubMed, entries through Sep 15, 2026). NLM does not endorse Journal Clock, and these figures may not reflect the most current PubMed data. Journal fees and open-access listing: DOAJ (CC0, retrieved Sep 16, 2026). Fees paid by institutions: OpenAPC (Open Database License, retrieved Sep 16, 2026). Retractions: Retraction Watch Database via Crossref (retrieved Sep 16, 2026). Journal identifiers and topics: OpenAlex (CC0). Currency conversion: ECB reference rates (Sep 15, 2026). How these numbers are calculated · For organisations.