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Beyond Hunger: Food Insecurity, Unhealthy Diets, and the Public Health...
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Beyond Hunger: Food Insecurity, Unhealthy Diets, and the Public Health Challenge of Malnutrition

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 2385

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Safura Abdool Karim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Centre for the Aids Research Programme of South Africa, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4001, South Africa
2. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
Interests: public health nutrition; commercial determinants of health; obesity prevention; double-burden of malnutrition; human rights
Dr. Tamryn Frank

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town 7535, South Africa
Interests: public health nutrition; commercial determinants of health; ultra-processed products; obesity prevention; nutrition policy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

It is an established fact that eating well and being healthy are deeply interlinked. While food insecurity had been a defining challenge for food systems on a global scale, it no longer characterises the spectrum of challenges public health nutrition faces. Globally, food insecurity coexists with triple-burden malnutrition (over-nutrition, under-nutrition, and micro-nutrient deficiences), which is leading to increasing rates of diet-related disease across the human life cycle. These increases in diet-related disease are driven by a complex set of structural influences over food systems and the influence of corporate actors. Moreover, these challenges are exacerbated by the impact of climate change and the threat to food security but may also be worsened by the current state of the food system. Addressing this modern challenge of malnutrition requires a bold and integrated approach to food system transformation that accounts for nutrition, food security, sustainability, and health. 

Thus, the aim of this Special Issue is to be a forum for discussions centered on the field of public health nutrition by exploring the problems public health nutrition needs to address, conceptualising or describing their relationships, and offering integrated solutions.

Addressing all of these issues similtaneously is challenging. Therefore, for this Special Issue, we welcome contributions that engage with any aspect of this complex terrain. Submissions need not address every element of the challenges posed by poor diet and food insecurity in a warming world but should substantively engage with structural influences on food and nutrition. Papers that focus only on food insecurity or individual interventions would not be suitable for this Special Issue.

Given the complexity of the challenges and the difficulties in identifying integrated solutions, we are particularly interested in papers that articulate, frame, or conceptualise these intersecting challenges and/or propose actionable, double, or triple-duty interventions as solutions. A wide range of article formats are encouraged, including empirical research, conceptual or theoretical work, policy and legal analyses, and interdisciplinary scholarship.

Dr. Safura Abdool Karim
Dr. Tamryn Frank
Guest Editors

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2500 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

  • public health nutrition
  • commercial determinants of health
  • triple-burden of malnutrition
  • food system transformation
  • triple-duty interventions
  • sustainable food systems

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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16 pages, 595 KB  
Article
Urban South African Adolescents’ Perspectives on Healthy and Unhealthy Foods and the Drivers of Their Food Choices in Their School Food Environment: A Pilot Study
by Alice Scaria Khan, Francesca Dillman-Carpentier and Elizabeth Catherina Swart
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2026, 23(2), 208; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph23020208 - 7 Feb 2026
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Abstract
Background: Childhood obesity is on the rise in South Africa and adolescents spend a substantial amount of time in the school food environment (SFE), which plays a role in shaping their food choices and provides a critical setting to improve diets. Objective: To [...] Read more.
Background: Childhood obesity is on the rise in South Africa and adolescents spend a substantial amount of time in the school food environment (SFE), which plays a role in shaping their food choices and provides a critical setting to improve diets. Objective: To investigate South African adolescent school-going learners’ knowledge and understanding of healthy and unhealthy foods and the drivers of their food choices in their (SFE). Design: Qualitative participatory research methods including workshops, photovoice and focus group discussions (FGDs). Setting: Two urban public high schools, one non-metropolitan and one metropolitan, in two separate provinces (Eastern Cape and Gauteng) in South Africa. Participants: Adolescents 14–18 years (n = 42). Results: Unhealthy ultra-processed foods (UPFs) were found to be rampant in the SFE, and healthy foods were scarce, limiting learners’ choices. Taste preference was a major driver of adolescent food choices as were satiety, value for money, affordability, convenience, visual appeal and seeming “cool or “rich” by purchasing branded franchise fast foods. Learners had some general nutrition knowledge, but this did not translate into healthy food choices. Banning unhealthy foods in the SFE and providing affordable and satiating healthy foods were proposed as solutions. Conclusions: UPFs such as packaged foods and fast food were considered tasty but unhealthy, yet were preferred. Interventions are needed to promote healthy diets by changing the SFE, and eventually adolescent food choices. This will require government regulation banning the sale of unhealthy food and beverages (F&Bs) in the SFE and subsidising healthy satiating foods to change dietary behaviour. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beyond Hunger: Food Insecurity, Unhealthy Diets, and the Public Health Challenge of Malnutrition)
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10 pages, 1007 KB  
Perspective
Is There Sufficient Local Evidence to Inform Biofortification Policies Against Micronutrient Deficiencies? A Global Concern for Food Security and Human Health
by Johan Camilo Vergara-Rios, Ivan David Lozada-Martinez, Juan David Reyes-Duque and Maria Trinidad Plaza Gómez
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2026, 23(2), 261; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph23020261 - 19 Feb 2026
Viewed by 521
Abstract
Micronutrient deficiencies remain a persistent challenge to global health and food security, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where evidence-based strategies are urgently needed. Biofortification of staple crops has been promoted as a complementary intervention to supplementation and food fortification, but its effective [...] Read more.
Micronutrient deficiencies remain a persistent challenge to global health and food security, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where evidence-based strategies are urgently needed. Biofortification of staple crops has been promoted as a complementary intervention to supplementation and food fortification, but its effective implementation requires locally relevant studies. Such evidence is essential because the performance and adoption of biofortified crops depend on context-specific factors, including crop varieties, soil micronutrient dynamics, dietary patterns, cultural acceptability, and bioavailability, which limit the transferability of findings across settings. This perspective examines whether countries with the highest micronutrient burdens generate sufficient local research to inform biofortification policy decisions. We conducted a bibliometric mapping of peer-reviewed literature indexed in Scopus and compared country-level publication counts with indicators of iodized salt coverage, zinc deficiency, and childhood anemia, which were selected because they are prioritized metrics in global health and food security. From 776 eligible articles, most publications originated from a small group of high- and middle-income countries, whereas regions facing the greatest nutritional burdens, including parts of Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, contributed little to the scientific output. Countries with low iodized-salt coverage, high zinc deficiency, or childhood anemia above 40% frequently showed zero or minimal publications. This misalignment suggests that countries facing the greatest nutritional vulnerabilities may be underrepresented in the indexed scientific literature. These findings highlight the value of further strengthening research participation and visibility in high-burden settings to ensure that the evidence base more accurately reflects global needs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beyond Hunger: Food Insecurity, Unhealthy Diets, and the Public Health Challenge of Malnutrition)
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