Innovations in the Food System: Exploring the Future of Food Series II
A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Security and Sustainability".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 March 2024) | Viewed by 14326
Special Issue Editor
Interests: food technologies; foods; olive oi; polyphenols; nutrition; diet
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In 2018, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) provided a definition of “food systems”, highlighting that they "encompass the entire range of actors and their interlinked value-adding activities involved in the production, aggregation, processing, distribution, consumption and disposal of food products that originate from agriculture, forestry or fisheries, and food industries, and the broader economic, societal and natural environments in which they are embedded".
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the population to rethink their lifestyles, production, and consumption, and it has also accelerated the transformation progress necessary in light of the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development—adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015—which provides a shared blueprint for the peace and prosperity of people and the planet, now and in the future.
Actual food systems account for nearly one-third of global GHG emissions; consume large amounts of natural resources; result in biodiversity loss and negative health impacts (due to both under- and over-nutrition); and do not allow fair economic returns and livelihoods for all actors, in particular, for primary producers.
With regard to these observations, innovations should aim to develop the following food systems:
- Inclusive: ensuring economic and social inclusion for all food system actors, especially smallholders, women, and youth;
- Sustainable: minimizing negative environmental impacts, conserving scarce natural resources, and strengthening resiliency against future shocks;
- Efficient: producing adequate quantities of food for global needs while minimizing postharvest loss and consumer waste;
- Nutritious and healthy: enabling the consumption of a diverse range of healthy, nutritious, and safe foods.
These are ambitious goals that will require multidisciplinary effort—from engineering to life sciences, biotechnology, medical sciences, social sciences, and economic sciences.
New technologies and scientific discoveries are the solution to the increasing the demand for sufficient, safe, healthy, and sustainable foods influenced by the increased public awareness of their importance.
This Special Issue will focus on innovations in the food system in the following research areas:
- Agricultural science: innovative and sustainable methods to increase the productivity and quality of agricultural and livestock products by reducing the use of natural resources and new food sources to improve the quality of life of citizens and stakeholders;
- Food engineering and food science and technology: innovative processing plants and new technologies with the aim to develop sustainable and value-added food products (e.g., superior quality, quick to prepare, and cheap), including the valorization of by-products, shifting from a linear to a circular economy in the agrifood domain;
- Food microbiology: microorganisms and transformations of animal and raw plant materials in edible fermented foods with high nutritional value that are rich in bioactive compounds beneficial to consumers;
- Food chemistry: investigation into the chemical composition, nutritional value, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects of functional and novel foods due to bioactive compounds in foods, including studies of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics;
- Nutritional science: in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo studies to ascertain the health benefits of novel ingredients, functional foods, and personalized nutrition and diets;
- Economy and social science: economic, social, and environmental impacts of new processes, product development, and consumer behavior;
- Food law: new policies and frameworks to ensure food safety, safeguard the environment, and protect consumers, farmers, and other food workers with the aim to prepare and serve a safe and balanced food future, in step with the changes in the world of production and consumption;
- Food City Region and Urban Food Policy: the study of food policies in the city, forms and practices related to food from urban agriculture and new farming practices and from markets close to sale and consumption with particular emphasis on the fight against waste and waste management;
- IoT, big data, and artificial intelligence: the role of IoT and big data analysis in agriculture (greenhouse monitoring, intelligent farm machines, and satellite and drone-based crop imaging), supply chain modernization in the food industry, food quality assessment (using spectral methods and sensor fusion), and food safety (blockchain-based digital traceability).
Authors are invited to submit original articles, reviews, and meta-analyses for inclusion in this Special Issue.
Dr. Maria Lisa Clodoveo
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- innovative agricultural practices
- novel food processing technologies
- sustainable food chains
- circular economy
- functional foods
- novel foods
- healthy diets
- economic, social, and environmental impacts of new processes and products
- consumer behavior
- IoT
- big data and artificial intelligence in agriculture and food industry
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.