Changing diets and the transformation of the global food system

Underutilized plants increase biodiversity, improve food and nutrition security, reduce malnutrition, and enhance human health and well-being. Let's put them back on the plate!

The global food system depends on a limited number of plant species. Plants with unsatisfactory nutritional value are overproduced, whereas the wide variety of nutrient-rich plant species used in earlier times remains neglected. Basing our diet on a few crops has wide-ranging negative consequences on nutrition and food security. Although still under-researched, underutilized plants are slowly starting to receive increased recognition. These plants have superior nutritional content and immense potential to contribute to food and nutrition security and increased sustainability. This narrative review provides evidence to encourage the promotion, domestication, and commercialization of underutilized plants. The anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and anticancer effects of some of underutilized plants are presented in this review. The outstanding ability of forgotten plants to increase food and nutrition security, boost dietary diversity, reduce malnutrition, and enhance human health and well-being is demonstrated. The main barriers and obstacles to reintroducing underutilized foods are reviewed and recommendations for overcoming nutrition and dietary-related challenges for re-establishing underutilized plants into the global food system are presented. The expansion of underutilized plants for human use is of paramount importance. The exceptional nutritional properties, bioactive potential, and proven health benefits of underutilized plants indicate that increased promotion, domestication, and commercialization of these plants should be strongly supported. Besides health benefits, marginalized plants have the potential to enhance human well-being and improve people's lives in many ways, retain biodiversity, and develop local economies. Therefore, underutilized plants should be used in the broader context of well-balanced and healthy diets.

From Streets to Tables: Bottom-Up Co-creation Case Studies for Healthier Food Environments in Vietnam and Nigeria

Current food systems fail to provide equity, sustainability, and positive health outcomes, thus underscoring the critical need for their transformation. Intervening in food environments holds substantial promise for contributing to this much-needed transformation. Despite scholars and practitioners often recognizing the necessity for bottom-up approaches, there is a dearth of empirical investigations evaluating the potential of these approaches to contribute to food system transformations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Our study aimed to address this research gap, providing a unique perspective in this regard. Drawing on evidence from two co-creation case studies conducted with small-scale informal fruit and vegetable vendors and poor consumers in Vietnam and Nigeria from January 2020 to December 2021, we explored the relevance of bottom-up community-engaged co-creation processes in intervening within LMICs' food retail environments. Employing a mixed-methods approach that includes quantitative surveys, qualitative interviews, participatory workshops, and focus group discussions, we demonstrated that bottom-up co-creation processes involving marginalized socioeconomic groups can generate retail-level innovations that are tailored to informal retail contexts, whereas remaining aligned with established top-down theories and literature pertaining to food environments and healthy diets. We provided empirical evidence highlighting how both vendors and consumers respond positively to the co-created innovations. Expanding upon our results, we offered methodological insights applicable to interventions targeted at food environments in LMICs, and considerations for future research or development initiatives in this domain. Our findings revealed the capacity of vulnerable stakeholders to actively engage in public health initiatives and contribute to developing innovative solutions that are context-specific and conducive to the adoption of healthier dietary practices. These results confirm the potential of bottom-up, co-creation, real-world interventions within informal settings to contribute toward fostering inclusive transformation of food systems.

Analysis of food system drivers of deforestation highlights foreign direct investments and urbanization as threats to tropical forests

Approximately 90% of global forest cover changes between 2000 and 2018 were attributable to agricultural expansion, making food production the leading direct driver of deforestation. While previous studies have focused on the interaction between human and environmental systems, limited research has explored deforestation from a food system perspective. This study analyzes the drivers of deforestation in 40 tropical and subtropical countries (2004-2021) through the lenses of consumption/demand, production/supply and trade/distribution using Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) models. Our models explained a substantial portion of deforestation variability globally (R2 = 0.74) and in Asia (R2 = 0.81) and Latin America (R2 = 0.73). The results indicate that trade- and demand-side dynamics, specifically foreign direct investments and urban population growth, play key roles in influencing deforestation trends at these scales, suggesting that food system-based interventions could be effective in mitigating deforestation. Conversely, the model for Africa showed weaker explanatory power (R2 = 0.30), suggesting that factors beyond the food system may play a larger role in this region. Our findings highlight the importance of targeting trade- and demand-side dynamics to reduce deforestation and how interventions within the food system could synergistically contribute to achieving sustainable development goals, such as climate action, life on land and zero hunger.

The Difference between PC-Based and Immersive Virtual Reality Food Purchase Environments on Useability, Presence, and Physiological Responses

Computer simulations used to study food purchasing behavior can be separated into low immersion virtual environments (LIVE), which use personal computers and standard monitors to display a scene, and high immersion virtual environments (HIVE) which use virtual reality technology such as head-mounted displays to display a scene. These methods may differ in their ability to create feelings of presence or cybersickness that would influence the usefulness of these approaches. In this present study, thirty-one adults experienced a virtual supermarket or fast-food restaurant using a LIVE system or a HIVE system. Feelings of presence and cybersickness were measured using questionnaires or physiological responses (heart rate and electrodermal activity). The participants were also asked to rate their ability to complete the set task. The results of this study indicate that participants reported a higher sense of presence in the HIVE scenes as compared to the LIVE scenes (p < 0.05). The participant's heart rate and electrodermal activity were significantly higher in the HIVE scene treatment when compared to the LIVE scene (p < 0.05). There was no difference in the participant's ability to complete tasks in the different scenes. In addition, feelings of cybersickness were not different between the HIVE and LIVE scenes.

Alternative methods for RuBisCO extraction from sugar beet waste: A comparative approach of ultrasound and high voltage electrical discharge

Ultrasound (US) and high voltage electric discharge (HVED) with water as a green solvent represent promising novel non-thermal techniques for protein extraction from sugar beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris var. altissima) leaves. Compared to HVED, US proved to be a better alternative method for total soluble protein extraction with the aim of obtaining high yield of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase enzyme (RuBisCO). Regardless of the solvent temperature, the highest protein yields were observed at 100% amplitude and 9 min treatment time (84.60 ± 3.98 mg/gd.m. with cold and 96.75 ± 4.30 mg/gd.m. with room temperature deionized water). US treatments at 75% amplitude and 9 min treatment time showed the highest abundance of RuBisCO obtained by immunoblotting assay. The highest protein yields recorded among HVED-treated samples were observed at a voltage of 20 kV and a treatment time of 3 min, disregarding the used gas (33.33 ± 1.06 mg/gd.m. with argon and 34.89 ± 1.59 mg/gd.m. with nitrogen as injected gas), while the highest abundance of the RuBisCO among HVED-treated samples was noticed at 25 kV voltage and 3 min treatment time. By optimizing the US and HVED parameters, it is possible to affect the solubility and improve the isolation of RuBisCO, which could then be purified and implemented into new or already existing functional products.

Increasing the Consumption of Environmentally Friendly Foods in a University Dining Hall Using Menu Item Placement

Creating a decision-making environment that promotes sustainable food choices is a priority for both the individual and society. This study aimed at encouraging plant-based menu choices by re-ordering the menu according to the carbon footprint values. The project was conducted in a grab-and-go eatery at a large United States public university, where students could order their meals choosing among different menu options that were customizable with various ingredients. The order of menu ingredients was changed twice: for five weeks, from the most to the least impactful in terms of carbon footprint; subsequently, for another five weeks the order was reversed. At both times, all sales data were recorded. A total of 279,219 and 288,527 items were selected, respectively, during the first and the second intervention. A significant association was found between menu re-ordering and customers' choices for almost all food categories considered. Overall, despite beef choices not changing, results showed that students were more likely to choose low-carbon options when these were placed at the beginning, emphasizing that food selections were impacted by ingredient placement on the menu list. These findings highlight the need for a multi-level strategy focused on raising students' awareness of the environmental impact of animal-based foods, particularly beef.

Household food waste and theory of planned behavior: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The darker side of food behavior is that millions of tons of food have been shown the doors of garbage. Therefore, food waste behavior needs an eye to look upon. The purpose of this research is to inculcate the concept of systematic literature review along with meta-analysis in order to examine the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) with respect to food waste behavior. The methodology includes Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) that is conducted for the identification, screening, and inclusion of studies. In all, twenty-six independent studies with (N = 13373) met the inclusion criteria. For validating the related literature, random-effects meta-analysis has been applied for ascertaining the average correlation among the variables. More specifically, the present study also examines the sub-group analysis effect among TPB variables. The findings reveal that the strongest association was observed between Attitude and Intention followed by Subjective Norm (SN) and Intention (INT), Perceived Behavioral Control (PBC) and Intention, and Intention and Behavior. Furthermore, the subgroup analysis using multi-cultural groups explores the highest composite correlation in the case of other cultural groups that included countries like Canada. The outcomes of the present study seek to serve in the best interest of households, event management stakeholders, and food policy makers.

The potential meat flavoring generated from Maillard reaction products of wheat gluten protein hydrolysates-xylose: Impacts of different thermal treatment temperatures on flavor

Wheat gluten protein hydrolysates were prepared by Flavourzyme, followed by xylose-induced Maillard reaction at different temperatures (80 °C, 100 °C and 120 °C). The MRPs were subjected to analysis of physicochemical characteristics, taste profile and volatile compounds. The results demonstrated that UV absorption and fluorescence intensity of MRPs significantly increased at 120 °C, suggesting formation of a large amount of Maillard reaction intermediates. Thermal degradation and cross-linking simultaneously occurred during Maillard reaction, while thermal degradation of MRPs played a more predominant role at 120 °C. MRPs exhibited high umami and low bitter taste at 120 °C, accompanied by the high content of umami amino acids and low content of bitter amino acids. Furans and furanthiols with pronounced meaty flavor served as the main volatile compounds in MRPs at 120 °C. Overall, high temperature-induced Maillard reaction of wheat gluten protein hydrolysates and xylose is a promising strategy for the generation of potential plant-based meat flavoring.

The feasibility of implementing food-based dietary guidelines and food graphics in Ethiopia

This study aimed to test the acceptability, cultural appropriateness, consumers' understanding, and practicality of the Ethiopian food-based dietary guideline's messages, tips, and food graphics. A qualitative study design was applied with focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Four different participant groups were included: 40 consumers, 15 high-level nutrition experts, 30 frontline community health extension workers (HEWs), and 15 agriculture extension workers (AEWs) to incorporate different stakeholder perspectives. Data collection was conducted using 7 focus group discussions (FGDs) and 30 key informant interviews (KIIs). Collected data were coded and analyzed using QSR International NVivo V.11 software. Most of the study participants were highly interested in implementing the dietary guidelines once these guidelines are officially released. Based on the participants' views, most of the messages align with the current nutrition education materials implemented in the country except the messages about physical activity and alcohol intake. However, participants suggested defining technical terms such as ultra-processing, whole grain, safe and balanced diet in simpler terms for a better understanding. Practicality, affordability, availability, and access to the market were the major barriers reported for adherence to the guidelines. To be more inclusive of cultural and religious beliefs, findings show that the guideline should address fasting and traditional cooking methods. In conclusion, the dietary guidelines were well received by most stakeholders. They are thought to be feasible once feedback on wording, affordability, availability, and access is considered in the messages, tips, and graphic designs.

The modulation of sustainability knowledge and impulsivity traits on the consumption of foods of animal and plant origin in Italy and Turkey

Given the environmental challenge we face globally, a transition to sustainable diets seems essential. However, the cognitive aspects underlying sustainable food consumption have received little attention to date. The aims of this cross-cultural study were: (1) to explore how impulsivity traits and individuals' knowledge of food environmental impact influence their frequency of consumption of animal- and plant-based foods; (2) to understand the modulation of individual characteristics (i.e. generation, sex, BMI, and sustainability knowledge). An online survey investigating impulsivity traits, sustainability knowledge and ratings of diverse food items was designed and administered to respondents from Italy (N = 992) and Turkey (N = 896). Results showed that Turkish respondents were higher in impulsivity and animal products consumption. Italians, instead, had greater sustainability knowledge and consumed more plant-based foods. Females in both groups reported greater knowledge of sustainability, consistent with previous findings. In terms of generations, the lowest consumption of animal products was reported by Turkish Generation Z and Italian Millennials. In conclusion, this study shed light on the interaction of psychological factors and individual characteristics with the perceived environmental impact of foods. Moreover, the adopted cross-cultural approach allowed to identify several differences in participants' responses ascribable to their different nationalities and gastronomic cultures.

Food governance for better access to sustainable diets: A review

‘Governance’, understood as organizational governance, is essential to more sustainable food provisioning systems ensuring sustainable health, heritage, and natural environments. Governance enables regional and local perspectives to be aligned with commitments from national and international organizations. Within the wealth of scholarship on food systems governance, agricultural governance and agency is a rarely interrogated dimension, despite the clear impacts of agricultural decisions on health and environmental outcomes. In this paper we discuss the findings of a scoping review that focuses on the question “How can food governance transform food systems to ensure better access to sustainable diets?”, meaning diet that protect health, cultures, and the natural environment. Our results show that it is first needed to determine the governance level and the expected outcomes. From a national perspective, policy coherence is described as a way in which different public institutions can add to the sustainable diets access goal. From a local perspective, community supported activities and the incorporation of local knowledge are also described as ways that can help achieving an improvement on sustainable diets access. Either from a regional or local perspective, commitment from organizations must be ensured for common objectives being aligned. Also, it is necessary to request more from the agricultural sector role in delivering nutritionally and environmentally appropriate food. Thus, the idea of governing agriculture as a health and environmental activity is an approach that should be considered when designing, implementing, and assessing food systems.

European Consumers Attitudes toward Ethnic Foods: Case of Date Fruits

This study focuses on the perception of ethnic foods by European consumers. The aim of this work is to enrich the literature on the analysis of consumer perception of ethnic foods by focusing on the socio-demographic characteristics of consumers, the possible role played by product attributes, psychographic characteristics, and willingness to pay for these products, specifically date fruits. We surveyed a representative sample of 1123 Italian and French consumers. Using an ordered logit model, we found that, as for any other product, geographical indication, region of production, organic character, and fair trade are attributes that individuals consider in their purchase decisions for ethnic foods. Similarly, country of origin is a source of quality for ethnic foods such as dates. The results reveal that women, more educated individuals, and Generation Z (younger individuals) have a higher willingness to pay for organic, fair trade, and GI-labeled ethnic foods. Finally, this willingness to pay is driven more by product knowledge than by cognitive closeness to the ethnic food.

Diet and vascular risk

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The basis for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) inevitably involves lifestyle modification, including dietary pattern (DP). The aim of this review is to address the different models of healthy DP with their peculiarities and nutritional components as well as their importance in the management of CVD.

RECENT FINDINGS

Classical cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, dyslipidaemia and diabetes are strongly influenced by diet and physical activity. However, current evidence supports the role of emerging risk factors such as inflammatory status, oxidative stress and endothelial function in the development of CVD. Likewise, recent evidence explores how healthy DP can modulate CVD risk through these risk factors.

SUMMARY

Although the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) is the paradigm of the healthy DP in the light of current scientific evidence, there are other DP that we should be aware of due to their results in epidemiological studies, randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and meta-analyses on CVD risk modulation. The best-analysed DP are the MedDiet, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), the Nordic DP, the Vegetarian DP, the Portfolio DP, the Low-carbohydrate DP and the Planetary Health diet initiative.

Sprouts and Microgreens-Novel Food Sources for Healthy Diets

With the growing interest of society in healthy eating, the interest in fresh, ready-to-eat, functional food, such as microscale vegetables (sprouted seeds and microgreens), has been on the rise in recent years globally. This review briefly describes the crops commonly used for microscale vegetable production, highlights Brassica vegetables because of their health-promoting secondary metabolites (polyphenols, glucosinolates), and looks at consumer acceptance of sprouts and microgreens. Apart from the main crops used for microscale vegetable production, landraces, wild food plants, and crops' wild relatives often have high phytonutrient density and exciting flavors and tastes, thus providing the scope to widen the range of crops and species used for this purpose. Moreover, the nutritional value and content of phytochemicals often vary with plant growth and development within the same crop. Sprouted seeds and microgreens are often more nutrient-dense than ungerminated seeds or mature vegetables. This review also describes the environmental and priming factors that may impact the nutritional value and content of phytochemicals of microscale vegetables. These factors include the growth environment, growing substrates, imposed environmental stresses, seed priming and biostimulants, biofortification, and the effect of light in controlled environments. This review also touches on microgreen market trends. Due to their short growth cycle, nutrient-dense sprouts and microgreens can be produced with minimal input; without pesticides, they can even be home-grown and harvested as needed, hence having low environmental impacts and a broad acceptance among health-conscious consumers.

Compliance with EAT-Lancet dietary guidelines would reduce global water footprint but increase it for 40% of the world population

The EAT-Lancet Commission has proposed a global benchmark diet to guide the shift towards healthy and sustainable dietary patterns. Yet it is unclear whether consumers' choices are convergent with those guidelines. Applying an advanced statistical analysis, we mapped the diet gap of 15 essential foods in 172 countries from 1961 to 2018. We found that countries at the highest level of development have an above-optimal consumption of animal products, fats and sugars but a sub-optimal consumption of legumes, nuts and fruits. Countries suffering from limited socio-economic progress primarily rely on carbohydrates and starchy roots. Globally, a gradual change towards healthy and sustainable dietary targets can be observed for seafood, milk products, poultry and vegetable oils. We show that if all countries adopted the EAT-Lancet diet, the water footprint would fall by 12% at a global level but increase for nearly 40% of the world's population.

In the Labyrinth of Dietary Patterns and Well-Being—When Eating Healthy Is Not Enough to Be Well

This paper aims to identify the relation between food consumption and well-being, and the level of well-being depending on a diet followed. Moreover, we analyze whether people driven by single motives, such as the health, pleasure or social dimension of food declare the lower or higher level of well-being than those motivated by a larger number of factors. The survey was conducted online (CAWI, n = 1067). The following scales were used: Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), Satisfaction with Food-related Life Scale (SWFL), Health Taste Attitude Scales (HTAS) and Social Dimension of Food Meaning. The data analysis was carried out with the application of one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), partial eta squared, a t-Student’s test, the Hochberg test, the Games-Howell test, and Pearson’s correlation. Levels of Subjective Well-Being (SWB) and Food Well-Being (FWB) are strongly correlated with consumers’ dietary pattern. The frequency of consumption of organic food and following vegan, low salt, and low sugar diets leads to higher levels of SWB, while FWB is additionally affected by the regular consumption of low-fat products and foods that improve one’s mood. The level of well-being is linked with the motivation to follow specific diets and attentiveness related to dietary patterns. People paying attention to the health aspects, pleasure and social dimension of food meaning show higher level of FWB than people focusing exclusively on health aspects.

The Association Between the Gut Microbiome, Nutritional Habits, Antibiotics, and Gastric Cancer: a Scoping Review

 PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Gastric cancer (GC) represents one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The prevalence of GC among the younger population has been increasing in recent years, and the latter is associated with late detection and advanced disease status. The factors involved in the development of GC have been the focus of investigation in the past few years; yet no consistent conclusions or preventative solutions have been suggested. This scoping review aims to explore and report on research studies conducted to investigate the association between GC, the gut microbiome, and nutritional habits. RECENT FINDINGS : Using a predefined protocol in compliance with the PRISMA guidelines, a search was conducted on four separate databases including Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, ProQuest, and PubMed to investigate the association between GC, microbiome, and nutrition. A total of 1219 articles were identified through this process. Forty-three articles met the initial screening criteria and following full-article analysis, and 10 articles met the full inclusion criteria and were included in the current review. The results of the study support that there are differences in the gut microbiota between GC patients and healthy controls and that GC patients may have increased microbiota richness and lower diversity compared to healthy controls. In addition, the detection of pre/early GC may be possible through the analysis of the microbiota using fecal sampling. Nutritional habits, probiotics, and antibiotics may also play an important role in affecting GC development. Preliminary studies support a role for the gut microbiota in developing GC. Yet, the lack of sufficient randomized controlled studies investigating the association between GC, the gut microbiota, and nutritional habits demonstrates the need for further clinical research to develop preventative strategies that will aim to reduce the increased incidence of GC among all age groups including younger populations.

Maillard reaction of food-derived peptides as a potential route to generate meat flavor compounds: A review

Plant-based meat analogues (PBMA) are promising foods to address the global imbalance between the supply and demand for meat products caused by the increasing environmental pressures and growing human population. Given that the flavor of PBMA plays a crucial role in consumer acceptance, imparting meat-like flavor is of great significance. As a natural approach to generate meat-like flavor, the Maillard reaction involving food-derived peptides could contribute to the required flavor compounds, which has promising applications in PBMA formulations. In this review, the precursors of meat-like flavor are summarized followed by a discussion of the reactions and mechanisms responsible for generation of the flavor compounds. The preparation and analysis techniques for food-derived Maillard reacted peptides (MRPs) as well as their taste and aroma properties are discussed. In addition, the MRPs as meat flavor precursors and their potential application in the formulation of PBMA are also discussed. The present review provides a fundamental scientific information useful for the production and application of MRPs as meat flavor precursors in PBMA.

A 20-Year Journey Through an Orphan African Baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) Towards Improved Food and Nutrition Security in Africa

The African baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) is a multipurpose orphan tree species of the semi-arid and sub-humid Sub-Saharan Africa where it plays an important role in rural livelihoods. Its wide distribution and dense nutrition properties make it an important species for food and nutrition security in Africa. However, despite the increasing interest in the species over the past two decades, the full potential of baobab remains underexploited. This review highlights strides made over the past 20 years (2001–2020) towards harnessing and unlocking the potential values of baobab in Benin, West Africa, to contribute to food and nutrition security. Challenges and threats are identified, and next steps suggested to guide research and development initiatives for orphan tree fruit species like baobab to address hunger and malnutrition in Africa.

Reverse thinking: taking a healthy diet perspective towards food systems transformations

Food systems that deliver healthy diets without exceeding the planet’s resources are essential to achieve the worlds’ ambitious development goals. Healthy diets need to be safe, accessible, and affordable for all, including for disadvantaged and nutritionally vulnerable groups such as of smallholder producers, traders, and consumers in low- and middle-income countries. Globally, food systems are experiencing rapid and drastic changes and are failing to fulfil these multiple duties simultaneously. The international community therefore calls for rigorous food systems transformations and policy solutions to support the achievement of healthy diets for all. Most strategies, however, are essentially supply- and market-oriented. Incorporation of a healthy diet perspective in food system transformation is essential to enable food systems to deliver not only on supplying nutritious foods but also on ensuring that consumers have access can afford and desire healthy, sustainable, and culturally acceptable diets. This paper argues that this should be guided by information on diets, dietary trends, consumer motives, and food environment characteristics. Transformational approaches and policies should also take into account the stage of food system development requiring different strategies to ensure healthier diets for consumers. We review current knowledge on drivers of consumer choices at the individual and food environment level with special emphasis on low- and middle income countries, discuss the converging and conflicting objectives that exist among multiple food-system actors, and argue that failure to strengthen synergies and resolve trade-offs may lead to missed opportunities and benefits, or negative unintended consequences in food system outcomes. The paper proposes a menu of promising consumer- and food-environment- oriented policy options to include in the food systems transformation agenda in order to shift LMIC consumer demand towards healthier diets in low- and middle income countries.

Biocultural Diversity for Food System Transformation Under Global Environmental Change

Biocultural diversity is central to the nutrition, resilience, and adaptive capacity of Indigenous and traditional peoples, who collectively maintain the longest ongoing human experiences with the provision of food under environmental change. In the form of crops and livestock and associated knowledge on their cultivation and use, food-related biocultural diversity likewise underpins global food security. As food system transformation is increasingly recognized as an urgent priority, we argue that food security, sustainability, resilience, and adaptive capacity can be furthered through greater emphasis on conservation, use, and celebration of food-related biocultural diversity. We provide examples from the Parque de la Papa, Peru, a “food biocultural diversity neighborhood” which through advocacy and partnerships based around its diversity, has both enhanced local communities and contributed to food security at a much larger scale. We outline collaborative actions which we believe are important to up- and out-scale food biocultural diversity neighborhood successes. Further research and knowledge sharing are critical to better document, understand, track, and communicate the value, functions, and state of biocultural diversity in food systems. Expanded training and capacity development opportunities are important to enable the interchange of experiences and visions on food, health, sustainability and resilience, climate adaptation, equity and justice, and livelihood generation with others facing similar challenges. Finally, strengthened networking across food biocultural diversity neighborhoods is essential to their persistence and growth as they increasingly engage with local, national, and international organizations, based on shared interests and on their own terms, across five continents.

Aquatic foods to nourish nations

Despite contributing to healthy diets for billions of people, aquatic foods are often undervalued as a nutritional solution because their diversity is often reduced to the protein and energy value of a single food type ('seafood' or 'fish')1-4. Here we create a cohesive model that unites terrestrial foods with nearly 3,000 taxa of aquatic foods to understand the future impact of aquatic foods on human nutrition. We project two plausible futures to 2030: a baseline scenario with moderate growth in aquatic animal-source food (AASF) production, and a high-production scenario with a 15-million-tonne increased supply of AASFs over the business-as-usual scenario in 2030, driven largely by investment and innovation in aquaculture production. By comparing changes in AASF consumption between the scenarios, we elucidate geographic and demographic vulnerabilities and estimate health impacts from diet-related causes. Globally, we find that a high-production scenario will decrease AASF prices by 26% and increase their consumption, thereby reducing the consumption of red and processed meats that can lead to diet-related non-communicable diseases5,6 while also preventing approximately 166 million cases of inadequate micronutrient intake. This finding provides a broad evidentiary basis for policy makers and development stakeholders to capitalize on the potential of aquatic foods to reduce food and nutrition insecurity and tackle malnutrition in all its forms.

The Mediterranean diet and health: a comprehensive overview

The Mediterranean diet (MedDiet), one of the most studied and well-known dietary patterns worldwide, has been associated with a wide range of benefits for health. In the present narrative review, we aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge on the relation of the MedDiet to important health outcomes, considering both observational and intervention studies with both risk factors and clinical diseases as outcomes. In addition, we considered the clinical and public health impacts of the MedDiet on both human and planetary health. Earlier research confirmed by recent studies has provided strong evidence for the benefits of the MedDiet on cardiovascular health, including reduction in the incidence of cardiovascular outcomes as well as risk factors including obesity, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and dyslipidaemia. There is also evidence that MedDiet is associated with lower rates of incident diabetes, and better glycaemic control in diabetic patients compared to control diets. In prospective studies, adherence to the MedDiet reduced mortality, especially cardiovascular mortality, hence increased longevity. In addition, it has been associated with less age-related cognitive dysfunction and lower incidence of neurodegenerative disorders, particularly Alzheimer's disease. Furthermore, the relatively low environmental impacts (water, nitrogen and carbon footprint) of the MedDiet is an additional positive aspect of the Mediterranean dietary model. It is likely that the combination of a healthy diet with social behaviours and the way of life of Mediterranean regions makes the MedDiet a sustainable lifestyle model that could likely be followed in other regions with country-specific and culturally appropriate variations.

Sustainable Agri-Food Systems: Environment, Economy, Society, and Policy

Agri-food systems (AFS) have been central in the debate on sustainable development. Despite this growing interest in AFS, comprehensive analyses of the scholarly literature are hard to find. Therefore, the present systematic review delineated the contours of this growing research strand and analyzed how it relates to sustainability. A search performed on the Web of Science in January 2020 yielded 1389 documents, and 1289 were selected and underwent bibliometric and topical analyses. The topical analysis was informed by the SAFA (Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture systems) approach of FAO and structured along four dimensions viz. environment, economy, society and culture, and policy and governance. The review shows an increasing interest in AFS with an exponential increase in publications number. However, the study field is north-biased and dominated by researchers and organizations from developed countries. Moreover, the analysis suggests that while environmental aspects are sufficiently addressed, social, economic, and political ones are generally overlooked. The paper ends by providing directions for future research and listing some topics to be integrated into a comprehensive, multidisciplinary agenda addressing the multifaceted (un)sustainability of AFS. It makes the case for adopting a holistic, 4-P (planet, people, profit, policy) approach in agri-food system studies.