The food system is responsible for some of society’s most pressing sustainability challenges. Diets are currently unsustainable in many countries as evidenced by the growing burden of malnutrition, degradation of natural resources, contributions to climate change, and unaffordability of healthy diets. There is an urgent need to address the gaps in understanding of what a sustainable food system means across varying populations and geographies and how we can better measure these systems, while identifying how dietary choices impact on human health and the environment. However, decision makers and experts are questioning whether it is possible to meet environmental, social, and economic goals simultaneously, or whether trade-offs are necessary. Thus, the development of better measurements and indicators to clearly understand the benefits and considerations for healthy and sustainable food systems is needed.
Reshaping our food systems could have enormous co-benefits for our populations and planet. Hence, standardized evaluation methods are needed to help decision makers to lead the food system towards a more sustainable path acting on multiple levels: health and nutrition, food security, natural source conservation, economic development and work regulation, sociocultural and political aspects, and consumer education to take on environmentally friendly habits. The aim of this Research Topic is to summarize the most used and the most innovative methods and indexes to evaluate sustainability of each component of the food system, including the impact on both the environment and human health. Another key point of this Research Topic is how these methods may improve the current food system regulation across different geographical and cultural regions. The Research Topic seeks to identify approaches that are generalisable and can be implemented widely, as well as situations where local adaptation is necessary.
This Research Topic welcomes manuscripts that focus on the methodologies and techniques to calculate, model, and simulate the impacts of any step of the food system chain. Theoretical as well as experimental frameworks are welcome.
Submission regarding but not limited to the following theme are welcome:
• Integrated assessment of the entire food production and consumption in a life cycle perspective
• Sustainability assessment case studies of specific industry segments
• Consumer habits and perception survey
• Integrated assessment of human health and environmental impacts of food production
• Evaluation of the impact of traditional and innovative agricultural, farming and fishing techniques
• Food system components contributing to healthy and sustainable diets
The food system is responsible for some of society’s most pressing sustainability challenges. Diets are currently unsustainable in many countries as evidenced by the growing burden of malnutrition, degradation of natural resources, contributions to climate change, and unaffordability of healthy diets. There is an urgent need to address the gaps in understanding of what a sustainable food system means across varying populations and geographies and how we can better measure these systems, while identifying how dietary choices impact on human health and the environment. However, decision makers and experts are questioning whether it is possible to meet environmental, social, and economic goals simultaneously, or whether trade-offs are necessary. Thus, the development of better measurements and indicators to clearly understand the benefits and considerations for healthy and sustainable food systems is needed.
Reshaping our food systems could have enormous co-benefits for our populations and planet. Hence, standardized evaluation methods are needed to help decision makers to lead the food system towards a more sustainable path acting on multiple levels: health and nutrition, food security, natural source conservation, economic development and work regulation, sociocultural and political aspects, and consumer education to take on environmentally friendly habits. The aim of this Research Topic is to summarize the most used and the most innovative methods and indexes to evaluate sustainability of each component of the food system, including the impact on both the environment and human health. Another key point of this Research Topic is how these methods may improve the current food system regulation across different geographical and cultural regions. The Research Topic seeks to identify approaches that are generalisable and can be implemented widely, as well as situations where local adaptation is necessary.
This Research Topic welcomes manuscripts that focus on the methodologies and techniques to calculate, model, and simulate the impacts of any step of the food system chain. Theoretical as well as experimental frameworks are welcome.
Submission regarding but not limited to the following theme are welcome:
• Integrated assessment of the entire food production and consumption in a life cycle perspective
• Sustainability assessment case studies of specific industry segments
• Consumer habits and perception survey
• Integrated assessment of human health and environmental impacts of food production
• Evaluation of the impact of traditional and innovative agricultural, farming and fishing techniques
• Food system components contributing to healthy and sustainable diets
