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REVIEW article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition and Sustainable Diets
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1519248
This article is part of the Research TopicFood, Nutrition, and Diets at Net Zero. 10 years of Frontiers in NutritionView all 7 articles
AFRICA'S CONTRIBUTION TO GLOBAL SUSTAINABLE AND HEALTHY DIETS: A SCOPING REVIEW
Provisionally accepted- 1Rural Outreach Africa, Nairobi, Kenya
- 2South Eastern Kenya University, Kitui, Kenya
- 3Rift Valley Technical Training Institute, Eldoret, Kenya
- 4Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kakamega, Bungoma, Kenya
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Background: A healthy diet is essential for human well-being and environmental sustainability. Africa possesses diverse traditional food systems that are nutritionally rich and environmentally sustainable. However, modern dietary transitions and increasing reliance on imported and processed foods threaten the continent's food sovereignty and public health. This review explores Africa's contributions to healthy diets and sustainable food systems.Objective: To examine the role of Africa's traditional diets in promoting global health, and to assess the impact of dietary transitions on nutrition and food security.Methods: A scoping review was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar and some information from FAO repositories. Studies published between 2015 and 2024 were included, with some earlier studies providing historical context. Thematic analysis was used to synthesize findings on African diets, dietary transitions, and global contributions.
Keywords: African diet, western diet, Food security, Nutrition transition, food systems, Africa
Received: 29 Oct 2024; Accepted: 18 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Oniang'o, Maingi, Jaika and Konyole. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Ruth Khasaya Oniang'o, Rural Outreach Africa, Nairobi, Kenya
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.