Post-Pandemic Foods: Development, Processing, Acceptance and Quality

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have witnessed significant changes in eating behaviors as individuals have reassessed their attitudes toward health, diet, and well-being while experiencing severe lifestyle disruption. As such, the demand for functional foods – foods with improved nutritional qualities that deliver health benefits like reduced fatigue and greater immunity – is growing. These foods come from organic and urban agriculture, both of which are pioneers in new and innovative food systems.

Given the increase in food insecurity caused by COVID-19 and the global decline in accessible cropland per person, it is critical that researchers examine the ways in which we can produce more bioprotein in less time and with less land. Food insecurity increased globally during the pandemic year of 2020, particularly among families with children. Moreover, there is a scarcity of information on how post-pandemic foods can be used from now onwards. Therefore, in this Research Topic we look to highlight the most recent scientific and technological advances in the development of novel food systems. Both the methods and the novel-food products are renewable, environmentally benign, and circular (reusable, recyclable, or degradable). Furthermore, such innovation has the ability to replace pre-COVID-19 foods while also delivering new and enhanced outcomes such as resource use, food efficiency, and supply efficiency.

This Research Topic welcomes submissions related to the dynamic use of natural or synthetic biomass to produce post-pandemic foods to meet pressing food security and bioeconomy needs. It aims to encompass themes such as, but not limited to:

• The use of algae, fungi, and bacterial-derived biomass as a zero hunger solution
• The healthy food perception during the pandemic and the 'new normal'
• Synergism of rural and urban agriculture systems to develop post-pandemic foods
• New product development for high-dietary essential oils
• Bioactive foods and critical characteristics in post-pandemic generations
• The readiness, sensory acceptance, and critical factors in developing post-pandemic foods
• Technologies and approaches to manage the security of post-pandemic foods
• Safety and quality management for post-pandemic food supply chain

Keywords: Novel food systems, Functional Food, Organic Food, Food Quality, Rural and Urban Agriculture, Essential Oils, Security of Post-pandemic Food, Readiness and Sensory Acceptance

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.