Nutritional Aspects Of Sustainable Foods

The rising phenomena of climate change and the subsequent ecosystem imbalance along with the rapid human population growth threaten food and nutrition security globally, hampering production activities related to crops, livestock, and fisheries. All other elements of the food system chain (i.e., storage, processing, distribution, food utilization, and consumption) are also likely to be affected resulting in poor food quality with a direct impact on food diversity and nutrient composition. Limited access to foods with high nutritional profiles along with a significant rise in food prices are potential threats contributing to poorer human health. This will place more pressure on developing countries, low-income people, and smallholder producers who will be the least able to respond to their nutritional needs without institutional assistance. The need for sustainable solutions to combat these changes is imperative and this is further endorsed by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations that sets goals for major transformations in agriculture and food systems to end hunger and achieve food and nutrition security by 2030. A sustainable food system encompasses the production, distribution and consumption of sustainable foods. Sustainable foods assure a low environmental impact avoiding the natural resource overexploitation, need to be affordable, culturally acceptable, but mostly nutritionally adequate (macro- and micronutrients).
The transition to more sustainable food systems shifts scientific interest towards the exploration of new, alternative sources to produce nutritionally important foods and food ingredients. Agro-food waste, plant-based sources, or aquatic sources constitute examples of sustainable sources for the production and characterization of nutrients (eg protein, carbohydrates, lipids, micronutrients) and non-nutrients (eg phytochemicals, flavor, pigments). Furthermore, advances in biotechnology applications can be used as a tool to increase the production of sustainable food ingredient sources. A critical feature though, of a sustainable food system is that the food produced does not pose any unintended nutritional consequences. Not only the quantity but also the quality of macronutrients like protein or the bioavailability of micronutrients in sustainable food should ensure that people consume nutrient-rich foods that meet their needs.
This Research Topic will bring together original research articles and comprehensive reviews that address “nutritional aspects of sustainable foods that include but are not limited to:
1. Production and characterization of food ingredients (eg. proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, phytochemicals, pigments, enzymes) derived from sustainable sources (eg. agro-food wastes, plant-based sources, aquatic sources)
2. Biotechnological applications in the production of sustainable food ingredient sources
3. Nutrient value of sustainable processed foods
4. Bioavailability of micronutrients in sustainable foods
5. Innovative foods from sustainable resources