Sustainable food systems

From a global perspective, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations describes a sustainable food system as follows: A sustainable food system (SFS) is a food system that delivers food security and nutrition for all in such a way that the economic, social and environmental bases to generate food security and nutrition for future generations are not compromised.

This means that: It is profitable throughout (economic sustainability); It has broad-based benefits for society (social sustainability); It has a positive or neutral impact on the natural environment (environmental sustainability).

The American Public Health Association (APHA) defines a sustainable food system as: one that provides healthy food to meet current food needs while maintaining healthy ecosystems that can also provide food for generations to come with minimal negative impact to the environment. A sustainable food system also encourages local production and distribution infrastructures and makes nutritious food available, accessible, and affordable to all. Further, it is humane and just, protecting farmers and other workers, consumers, and communities.

The European Union's Scientific Advice Mechanism defines a sustainable food system as a system that provides and promotes safe, nutritious and healthy food of low environmental impact for all current and future EU citizens in a manner that itself also protects and restores the natural environment and its ecosystem services, is robust and resilient, economically dynamic, just and fair, and socially acceptable and inclusive. It does so without compromising the availability of nutritious and healthy food for people living outside the EU, nor impairing their natural environment.

Authors of the study: Charles H. Greene, Celina M. Scott-Buechler, Arjun L.P. Hausner, Zackary I. Johnson, Xin Gen Lei, Mark E. Huntley / License CC BY 4.0