What are Sustainable Food Systems?
Guaranteeing food and nutrition security is one of the biggest global challenges that society has faced in recent years. Unfortunately, the situation regarding access to food in quantity and quality is different in developed and developing countries. In addition, industrial food production contributes a third of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, and the excessive use of water, fertilisers and pesticides has a major ecological impact. Therefore, in order to overcome these difficulties, food organisations are focusing on sustainability, developing and implementing ideas, strategies and attitudes that are ecologically correct, economically viable, socially just and culturally diverse.
The fusion of the terms “food systems” and “sustainability” (defined in the paragraph above) gave rise to the term “sustainable food systems”, which designates a complex web of activities from production to waste disposal that positively impact the economic, social and environmental dimensions of present generations without, however, jeopardising the quality of life of future generations.
In the economic dimension, for a food system to be considered sustainable, in addition to the physical and commercial accessibility of activities, it must add value to all stakeholders: income for workers, taxes for the government, profits for companies and improved food supply chain for consumers. With regard to the social dimension, there must be equity in the distribution of added economic value, taking vulnerable groups into account, thereby promoting public health, cultural traditions and better working conditions. With regard to the environmental dimension, the sustainable food system must ensure that its activities do not negatively impact biodiversity, natural resources and the climate; and that there is better reuse of food waste.
Sustainable food systems vs Circular economy
Sustainable food systems and the circular economy are closely interlinked concepts. The circular economy proposes that resources are used efficiently and that materials are designed to be reused, repaired and/or recycled, thereby minimising waste and overconsumption. Sustainable food systems can benefit from this by adopting practices throughout the supply chain that minimise food and resource waste.
What is the importance of implementing sustainable food systems?
Implementing sustainable food systems is crucial for a number of social, environmental, economic and health reasons. For example:
It increases food safety;
Reduces the environmental impact caused by food processing;
Promotes the conservation of biodiversity;
Promotes healthy diets, improving public health;
Stimulates the local economy, as jobs are generated;
Promotes social justice and preserves local food cultures;
Promotes education and awareness about food, health and the environment.
Challenges facing food systems
Rebuilding the economy after the pandemic crisis offers a unique opportunity to transform food systems and make them more resilient. To this end, United Nations agencies such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the World Food Programme (WFP) collectively suggest four major changes to ensure the sustainability of food systems:
Resilient food supply chains – improve the distribution of food locally, reducing the risk of food insecurity, malnutrition and rising prices, as well as generating jobs;
Healthy diets – reduce consumption of animal-based and highly processed foods in developed countries and improve access to nutritious foods in developing countries, promoting public health by reducing medical care;
Reducing food waste – reducing food waste throughout the supply chain, particularly at industrial level, where it can, where possible, be used as a raw material (e.g. egg shells) for other food products (e.g. supplement for baby food) and/or non-food products (e.g. supplement for organic fertilisers);
Sustainable and regenerative livestock farming – implementing crop rotation and reducing intensive livestock farming, promoting soil, air and water health and helping to restore biodiversity.
In addition, governments, institutions and companies can take the following actions to implement a sustainable food system:
Establish policies, regulations and standards that promote sustainability from food production to distribution (e.g. food labelling standards that inform consumers about the sustainability of products, such as carbon footprint);
Provide financial incentives and technical support to farmers and processors who adopt sustainable practices, such as organic farming and the use of clean energy in food factories;
Set targets for reducing food waste and promote the donation of unsold food to charitable organisations;
Develop food awareness and education campaigns that encourage diets based on healthy, local and seasonal foods, and subsidise access to healthy food for low-income groups;
Invest in the research and development of technologies that reduce food waste, such as smart packaging and traceability systems;
Implement policies for the protection and responsible use of natural resources;
Promoting fairer trade practices and co-operation between countries to meet the challenges of sustainable food systems.
In short, sustainable food systems not only help solve current global challenges, they also play a fundamental role in building a more resilient, healthy and equitable future for society. These changes are not just a matter of choice, but of urgent necessity: if we don’t act today, tomorrow may be too late.
