Integrated pathways for sustainable aquatic food systems: from production to nutrition, safety, and consumer trust

Aquatic food systems are increasingly recognized as central to the transformation toward sustainable and resilient global food systems. Fish, shellfish, and other aquatic organisms are crucial sources of protein, micronutrients, and livelihoods for millions of people, yet their sustainable management and utilization remain complex. Recent research has highlighted major opportunities and challenges in linking production practices, nutritional outcomes, food safety, and consumer behavior. Historically, scholarly inquiry and policy interventions have addressed these domains separately — focusing either on aquaculture productivity, nutritional adequacy, or safety assurance — which has limited holistic understanding of how the entire aquatic food system operates. Contemporary studies have shed light on how aquaculture intensification, feed innovation, and certification mechanisms influence the nutritional and safety profiles of aquatic foods, as well as how consumer trust and perceptions impact the uptake of sustainable seafood. Despite this progress, integrated, cross-disciplinary approaches remain underdeveloped, particularly those connecting the production–nutrition–safety–consumer continuum. Addressing this gap is essential to realize the potential of aquatic foods to deliver sustainable and equitable benefits for both people and the planet.

This Research Topic aims to stimulate new interdisciplinary research that explores the interactions among aquatic food production, nutritional quality, food safety, traceability, market systems, and consumer demand. It seeks to identify how innovation and governance can align these components to achieve both sustainability and public health goals. Key questions include how production systems can optimize both nutritional output and safety, how consumer values and behaviors influence the demand for sustainable seafood, and how policy frameworks can strengthen the integration between sustainable practices, equitable access, and informed consumption choices. The objective is to foster stronger empirical and theoretical linkages that will underpin evidence-based strategies for sustainable aquatic food systems.

The Research Topic focuses on interconnected aspects spanning production through to consumption, emphasizing studies that link at least two domains within the aquatic food system. We welcome empirical, comparative, and conceptual contributions that address integrated pathways and systemic relationships across disciplines.

To gather further insights into sustainable aquatic food systems, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

Interrelations among aquaculture production systems, animal welfare, and consumer perceptions of quality and trust
Effects of culture and rearing conditions on fish welfare, disease control, food safety, and consumer preferences
Trade-offs between nutritional value and food safety risks in wild versus farmed aquatic species
Innovations in traceability, certification, and labeling that influence safety governance, value-chain economics, and consumer behavior
Impacts of sustainable feeds and production methods on the nutrient profile of aquatic foods and their acceptance in sustainable diets
Roles of mid-scale and local seafood value chains in improving nutrition security, food safety, and equitable consumption opportunities
Policy and institutional dynamics shaping the links between sustainability, safety standards, and consumer demand
Comparative or case studies, systematic reviews, and mixed-methods analyses tracing connections from production through to consumption