Food Safety Implications of Transitions Toward Sustainable Healthy Diets

Despite increased political attention, foodborne diseases still cause a substantial public health, economic, and social burden worldwide. Children younger than 5 years, people living in developing regions, and in the poorest areas of the world are disproportionally affected, bearing a large proportion of the global burden of foodborne disease. Yet, food safety is a prerequisite to ensuring food security globally: Foods that are responsible for important food safety problems are also crucial to ensure food security in some regions and are essential sources of nutrition. Moreover, together with calls for action to meeting international sustainable development goals, global efforts to promote food security and healthy diets have now highlighted the need to modify food systems globally. This article therefore explores the food safety dimensions of transitions toward food systems that promote sustainable healthy diets. The current body of evidence points to the combined health and environmental benefits of shifting toward a more plant-based diet, including vegetables and fruits, nuts, pulses, and whole grains. As a shift toward more plant-based diets may also lead to higher exposures to chemicals or pathogens present in these foods, an evaluation of food safety implications of such transitions is now imperative. We conclude that several synergies between public health, environmental, and food safety strategies can be identified to support dietary transitions.

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Toward Sociocultural Indicators of Sustainable Healthy Diets

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13137226 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (13) ◽

pp. 7226

Author(s):

Jill Nicholls ◽

Adam Drewnowski

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Food Systems ◽

Research Priorities ◽

Social Dimension ◽

The Sustainable Development ◽

Four Dimensions ◽

Sustainable Diets ◽

The Social ◽

Healthy Diets ◽

Development Goals

Balancing the social, economic and environmental priorities for public health is at the core of the United Nations (UN) approaches to sustainable development, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The four dimensions of sustainable diets are often presented as health, society, economics, and the environment. Although sustainable diet research has focused on health and the environment, the social and economic dimensions of sustainable diets and food systems should not be forgotten. Some research priorities and sociocultural indicators for sustainable healthy diets and food systems are outlined in this report. The present goal is to improve integration of the social dimension into research on food and nutrition security.

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The health implications of distrust in the food system: findings from the dimensions of trust in food systems scale (DOTIFS scale)

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-11349-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Emma Tonkin ◽

Trevor Webb ◽

Julie Henderson ◽

Paul R. Ward ◽

John Coveney ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Food Safety ◽

Content Validity ◽

Food Systems ◽

Food System ◽

Dietary Guidelines ◽

Consumer Trust ◽

Safety Practices ◽

Health Related ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Consumer trust in food systems is essential for consumers, food industry, policy makers and regulators. Yet no comprehensive tool for measuring consumer trust in food systems exists. Similarly, the impact that trust in the food system has on health-related food behaviours is yet to be empirically examined. The aim of this research was to develop a comprehensive instrument to measure trust in the food system (the Dimensions of Trust in Food Systems Scale (DOTIFS scale) and use it to explore whether trust in the food system impacts consumers’ health-related behaviours. Methods The DOTIFS scale was developed using sociological theories of trust and pre-existing instruments measuring aspects of trust. It was pilot tested and content validity was assessed with 85 participants. A mixed-methods exploration of the health-related behaviours of 18 conveniently sampled Australian consumers with differing trust scores determined by the DOTIFS scale was then conducted. During March–July 2019 shopping- and home-observations were used to assess participants’ food safety practices and exposure to public health fortification programs, while the CSIRO Healthy Diet Score determined their adherence to national dietary guidelines. Results The DOTIFS scale was found to have high comprehension, ease of use and content validity. Statistical analysis showed scale scores significantly trended as predicted by participants’ stated level of trust. Differences were found in the way individuals with more or less trust in the food system comply with national dietary guidelines, are exposed to public health fortification programs, and adhere to recommended food safety practices. Conclusions The DOTIFS scale is a comprehensive, sociologically- and empirically- informed assessment of consumer trust in food systems that can be self-administered online to large populations and used to measure changes in consumer trust over time. The differences in health-related behaviours between individuals with varying levels of trust warrant further investigation.

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Healthy Diets and Reduced Land Pressure: Towards a Double Gain for Future Food Systems in Nigeria

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11030835 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 835 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Zuzana Smeets-Kristkova ◽

Thom Achterbosch ◽

Marijke Kuiper

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Global Economy ◽

Food Systems ◽

Food System ◽

Production Systems ◽

Leverage Points ◽

Nutrition Security ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Healthy Diets ◽

The Impact

Nigeria is one of the most dynamic economies in Africa. Strong GDP and population growth coupled with urbanization trends place tremendous pressures on natural resources and the food systems that are dependent on them. Understanding the impact of these “mega trends” is important to identify key leverage points for navigating towards improved nutrition and food security in Nigeria. This paper contributes to the Foresight Project of the Food Systems for Healthier Diets which aims to analyse how the food system in Nigeria is expected to transform in the next decades, and to identify the leverage points for making sure that the transformation contributes to balanced consumer diets. For the food systems foresight, a well-established global economy-wide model, MAGNET, is applied that enables to capture the interlinkages among different food industry players in one consistent framework. By linking MAGNET to the GENUS nutritional database, it is further possible to relate the developments occurring on a macro-level with detailed macro and micronutrient consumption. Model projections suggest that a process of intensification of agriculture in combination with land substitution appears critical for the evolution of food and nutrition security, and for shifts towards healthy diets for the population. Intensification results in greater diversity of the production systems, which in turn cascades into positive effects on the diversity in the food supply and better food security outcomes.

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The Importance of a Food Systems Approach to Low and Middle Income Countries and Emerging Economies: A Review of Theories and Its Relevance for Disease Control and Malnutrition

Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems ◽

10.3389/fsufs.2021.642635 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

Author(s):

Pablo Alarcon ◽

Paula Dominguez-Salas ◽

Eric M. Fèvre ◽

Jonathan Rushton

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Food Safety ◽

Emerging Economies ◽

Food Systems ◽

Food System ◽

Systems Science ◽

Multidisciplinary Teams ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Low And Middle Income

Our review explores the changing food production, distribution and consumption environment in low and middle-income countries and emerging economies as a basis for framing how to study food systems in order to address public health issues of food safety and nutrition. It presents the state of knowledge on existing food systems science and its use in terms of sustainable actions for food safety and public health. The review identifies a knowledge gap in food system mapping and governance, with value chain mapping of key commodities often missing. Despite a number of initiatives, the application of food systems methods is highly variable in scope and quality. Most analyses concentrate on specific commodities, rarely taking into account the need for a whole diet approach when looking at nutrition or the assessment of a range of infectious agents and their interactions when looking at food safety. Of the studies included in the review there is a growing observation of “informal” food systems, a term used inconsistently and one that requires revision. “Informal” food systems link to the formal sector to provide food security, yet with trade-offs between economic efficiencies and food safety. Efforts to improve food safety are hampered by inadequate food safety capacities and a lack of policy coherence leading to: inadequate investment; fragmented food quality control systems; weak or non-existent traceability mechanisms; weak foodborne disease surveillance; obsolete food regulation; and weak regulatory enforcement. In-depth food systems assessments can complement risk analysis to identify risky behaviors and understand institutional settings in order to improve codes of practice and enforcement. Methods for looking at food safety from a food systems perspective are emerging, yet existing nutrition and food systems science are not advancing sufficiently in response to nutritional public health problems. There is an urgency for improved understanding of the structure and drivers of the food systems, for better planning of changes that leads to nutrients access and healthy levels of eating. It is proposed that countries and international institutions provide an atlas of food system maps for the key commodities based on an agreed common methodology and developed by multidisciplinary teams.

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Digital Transformations in Agri-Food Systems: Innovation Drivers and New Threats to Sustainable Rural Development

SHS Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/shsconf/202110003002 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 100 ◽

pp. 03002

Author(s):

Olena Borodina ◽

Oksana Rykovska ◽

Oksana Mykhailenko ◽

Oleksii Fraier

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Rural Communities ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Food Systems ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Rural Livelihoods ◽

Relevant Information ◽

Sustainable Rural Development ◽

Development Goals

The paper proves that sweeping digital transformations are a global trend in agri-food development. Significantly improved economic efficiency, rational use of natural resources, operational exchange of relevant information, new markets, and economic opportunities under modern climate change are possible owing to digital transformations. It is grounded that the elimination of world hunger based on the provided internal food security and secured rural communities should be the primary goal of the digital innovations in agri-food systems within Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The paper states that along with the significant benefits of digital technologies, the great destructive impact on the overall societal development is possible due to the corporate monopolization of digital processes. Thus, there is the risk of the development of food systems, which are characterized by decreasing in the food supply, loss of biodiversity and rural livelihoods. Proposals to mitigate the threats of digitalization, strengthen internal food security and enhance the development of rural communities through information and communication technologies (ICT) are substantiated. The specific of the agri-food digitalization in Ukraine is outlined, which is determined by the duality of the organizational structure of agriculture (corporate and individual sector) with a tendency to the concentration of land, power, and financial resources in favor of corporations expanding opportunities for digitalization. Appropriate safety measures to mitigate the negative impact on the development of small producers, rural areas, and Ukrainian society are identified.

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Foraging Wild Food in Urban Spaces: The Contribution of Wild Foods to Urban Dietary Diversity in South Africa

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12020678 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 678 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Hesekia Garekae ◽

Charlie M. Shackleton

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Food Security ◽

Rural Communities ◽

Food Systems ◽

Dietary Diversity ◽

Wild Food ◽

Potential Contribution ◽

Food Groups ◽

Wild Foods ◽

Vegetables And Fruits

Globally, approximately one billion people benefit from contributions of wild foods to their food security and dietary diversity. Wild foods are known to be important in rural communities in terms of food and micronutrient provision, diversifying diets, reducing vulnerability to non-communicable diseases and overall health. However, the potential contribution of wild foods towards food security and dietary diversity in urban food systems has been largely overlooked. This study examined the contribution of wild foods to household dietary diversity in two towns in South Africa, based on a survey of 137 households. Household diets were quite diverse, with half (51%) having consumed ≥ 8 food groups, 39% consumed 6 or 7 food groups, and only 10% recorded ≤ 5 food groups in the previous 48 h. Wild foods were prevalent across the sample, with 62% of the households consuming them to some degree. Wild vegetables and fruits were the most common wild foods, consumed by 96 and 79% of the households, respectively. Although wild foods had limited significance on overall dietary diversity, they exhibited substantial contributions within particular food groups. For example, the consumption of vegetables and oil and fats was most prevalent among households consuming wild foods than those who did not. The findings show that wild foods could contribute towards diversifying urban diets at a micro-level, within particular food groups consumed, such as vegetables and fruits. Hence, wild foods are important in ameliorating the monotonous diets of some households and in turn promoting dietary diversity.

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Towards Healthy Public Policy

Public Affairs and Administration ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-8358-7.ch043 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 900-917

Author(s):

Julie Yang

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Decision Making ◽

Food Security ◽

Systems Analysis ◽

Health Informatics ◽

Food Systems ◽

Public Health Informatics ◽

Public Health Decision ◽

Health Decision ◽

Research Decision

As an issue that affects a significant portion of the Canadian population, food security must be addressed in public health policy and research. Decision-making for food security is a complex task that needs to take into account a diverse range of issues including production, processing, distribution, access, consumption, and waste management. This approach to policymaking for food security, known as food systems analysis, makes use of a large amount of geospatial data. Public health informatics can offer some potential answers to handling and using this large amount of information. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a brief introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and how they are used in public health, particularly for food systems analysis. A hypothetical scenario that envisions using a type of spatial analytic tool, called Spatial On-Line Analytic Processing (Spatial OLAP or SOLAP), for public health decision-making is also introduced. In describing both GIS and spatial OLAP, a case for incorporating food systems analysis into public health practices is made.

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Towards Healthy Public Policy

Advances in Healthcare Information Systems and Administration - Research Perspectives on the Role of Informatics in Health Policy and Management ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-4321-5.ch009 ◽

2013 ◽

pp. 135-152

Author(s):

Julie Yang

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Decision Making ◽

Food Security ◽

Systems Analysis ◽

Health Informatics ◽

Food Systems ◽

Public Health Informatics ◽

Public Health Decision ◽

Health Decision ◽

Research Decision

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Animal pathogens and their impact on animal health, the economy, food security, food safety and public health

Revue Scientifique et Technique de l OIE ◽

10.20506/rst.36.2.2663 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 36 (2) ◽

pp. 423-433 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

T.F. MCELWAIN ◽

S.M. THUMBI

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Food Security ◽

Food Safety ◽

Animal Health ◽

Animal Pathogens

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Demand for food safety in emerging and developing countries

Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies ◽

10.1108/jadee-12-2014-0045 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 21-34 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

David L. Ortega ◽

David L. Tschirley

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

Food Safety ◽

Food Systems ◽

English Language ◽

Consumer Demand ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Future Research ◽

Developing Regions ◽

Content Type ◽

Safety Issues

Purpose Food safety in emerging and developing regions is receiving increased attention from economists, researchers and policymakers. The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the literature on the economics of food safety in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Of interest are studies exploring consumer demand and producer behavior regarding food safety. Particular attention is given to areas in need of additional research. The studies’ common implications for future research are discussed. Design/methodology/approach Two English language searches were conducted in the summer of 2013 to identify relevant studies on the economics of food safety, one each in Google Scholar and Web of Science. The authors carefully reviewed the abstracts of these studies for content, and select papers were identified that capture overarching themes found in the literature. Findings are presented by region. Findings Consumers in developing countries will become increasingly aware of food safety issues as urbanization proceeds and incomes continue to rise at robust rates. However, assuring food safety in modernizing food systems involves significant costs, and current incomes in developing SSA are far lower than in Asia. The authors find that overall consumer awareness of food safety problems in SSA is low relative to Asia. Moreover, knowledge of producer behavior and consumer demand for food safety in developing countries is very limited. Research limitations/implications Limitations include a lack of information available on domestic food safety issues and overall knowledge of how food safety affects developing agrifood systems. Originality/value The findings from this review contribute to a better understanding of the economics of food safety in emerging and developing regions.

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