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Sustainability
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Food Security, Food Recovery, Food Quality, and Food Safety
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Food Security, Food Recovery, Food Quality, and Food Safety

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Food".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 6219

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Preciosa J.C. Jesus da Costa Pires

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo - Center for Research and Development in Agrifood Systems and Sustainability, Viana do Castelo, Portugal
Interests: food quality; food ingredients; bioactive compounds; food safety; analytical chemistry, bioprocesses
Dr. Fernando Mata

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Center for Research and Development in Agrifood Systems and Sustainability. Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo
Interests: sustainable animal production, animal welfare, epidemiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Aloia Romaní

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Chemical Engineering Department, University of Vigo, Campus Ourense, Ourense, Galicia, Spain
Interests: biotechnology applied; microbiology; energy; fuels; environmental sciences
Prof. Dr. Cleide Mara Faria Soares

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Technology and Research and a permanent professor at the Stricto Sensu Graduate Program in Process Engineering and Industrial Biotechnology, Tiradentes University, Aracaju, Brazil
Interests: interactions between chemical engineering, biochemistry and biology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The amount and quality of food that is produced can be increased by using appropriate methods and technologies. One potential way of doing this is by recovering wasted food resources using innovative, sustainable methods for managing food waste and recovering high-value products in food production systems. Reducing food waste can also be achieved by creating innovative food conservation techniques to preserve food quality, such as new food antioxidants, antimicrobials, and new food films and packaging systems, increasing the shelf life of foods. New bioactive food ingredients can also be obtained by sustainable biotechnology methods and from other industrial leftovers or biomass resources, utilizing green technology. To ensure that there is enough food to meet everyone’s needs, food production is a crucial component of food security. Several factors influence food production, and new sustainable land and water food production techniques and technologies have the potential to boost food production systems and enhance food security. The quality and safety of food is also a crucial component of the food system. Food insecurity is largely caused by malnutrition since inadequate diets can result in health problems and lower productivity and unevenly distributed access to resources and a shortage of food sources can lead to malnutrition. To solve these problems, research should concentrate on ensuring that low-cost, safe, and nutritionally balanced food is accessible since ensuring food safety is essential to protecting public health by preventing foodborne illnesses and ensuring that all food products are free from harmful contaminants. Incorporating sustainable practices into food production can significantly reduce the environmental impact of agriculture, preserving natural resources for future generations. By minimizing the use of harmful chemicals and promoting biodiversity, sustainable methods contribute to the health of ecosystems and the long-term viability of food systems. Moreover, integrating renewable energy sources and efficient water management practices in agriculture can further enhance sustainability, reducing the carbon footprint and ensuring the resilience of food production in the face of climate change. Addressing food production through the four pillars of sustainability—economic, social, environmental, and cultural—aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to create a more equitable and sustainable world.

Prof. Dr. Preciosa J.C. Jesus da Costa Pires
Dr. Fernando Mata
Prof. Dr. Aloia Romaní
Prof. Dr. Cleide Mara Faria Soares
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 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. Sustainability 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 2400 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

  • food waste
  • active food ingredients
  • food production
  • nutritionally balanced food
  • bioprocesses
  • sustainable food systems

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

30 pages, 3268 KiB  
Article
Solar Dehydration of Mangoes as an Alternative for System Sustainability, Food and Nutritional Security, and Energy Transition
by Maria Cristina García-Muñoz, Yajaira Romero-Barrera, Luis Fernando Amortegui-Sánchez, Edwin Villagrán, John Javier Espitia-González and Kelly Johana Pedroza-Berrío
Sustainability 2025, 17(12), 5313; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17125313 - 9 Jun 2025
Viewed by 1186
Abstract
Food losses in developing countries occur predominantly during harvest and post-harvest stages due to inadequate infrastructure for processing agricultural produce into value-added products with an extended shelf life. Dehydration represents an effective method for preserving and enhancing the value of fruits and vegetables; [...] Read more.
Food losses in developing countries occur predominantly during harvest and post-harvest stages due to inadequate infrastructure for processing agricultural produce into value-added products with an extended shelf life. Dehydration represents an effective method for preserving and enhancing the value of fruits and vegetables; however, conventional techniques entail significant energy expenditure, necessitating research into more sustainable and efficient processes. Solar dehydration emerges as a particularly suitable method due to its ability to utilize renewable energy resources, despite persistent technical constraints limiting its widespread implementation. This study presents the design, construction, and performance evaluation of a novel solar dryer incorporating both a drying chamber and an integrated photovoltaic system. The photovoltaic component powers a mechanical system that facilitates the removal of exhaust air, the introduction of fresh air, and homogeneous air circulation through the induction of turbulent flow patterns within the chamber. The results demonstrate that the optimal drying efficiency in solar dehydration systems is primarily contingent upon effective air homogenization and the systematic removal of moisture-laden air. The findings suggest that optimized solar dehydration technology can be considered as a technically viable and economically beneficial approach to mitigating post-harvest losses while simultaneously enhancing agricultural economic sustainability in developing regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Security, Food Recovery, Food Quality, and Food Safety)
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24 pages, 3434 KiB  
Article
Food Forward’s Fresh Approach: Can Meal Boxes Improve Food Security for Low-Income Communities Living in Healthy Food Priority Areas?
by Aparna Katre, Brianna Raddatz, Britta Swanson, Taylor Turgeon and Alison Dugan
Sustainability 2025, 17(5), 2088; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17052088 - 28 Feb 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1103
Abstract
Food security continues to be an issue in the United States, especially in urban healthy food priority areas. Most interventions prioritize physical and economic access, just one of the four pillars of food security. We present the beginnings of a framework to help [...] Read more.
Food security continues to be an issue in the United States, especially in urban healthy food priority areas. Most interventions prioritize physical and economic access, just one of the four pillars of food security. We present the beginnings of a framework to help qualitatively assess an intervention’s contributions to various dimensions and sub-dimensions of food security and summarize the contributions of dominant interventions observed in the literature. We have followed Food Forward, a meal box social enterprise, since its conception in 2021. As a case study, we apply the framework and find that meal boxes have the potential to comprehensively address all dimensions of food security at the household level. Community involvement in strategic planning and operations can improve food utilization, and a financially sustainable social enterprise model can facilitate access, availability, and utilization stability. Future research is needed to develop the framework further by adding indicators to assess individual and collective contributions of community-based interventions to household food security. Longitudinal studies for innovative social business models for meal boxes are necessary to assess their contribution to the stability dimension of household food security. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Security, Food Recovery, Food Quality, and Food Safety)
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15 pages, 1444 KiB  
Article
The Quality and Safety of Donated Food in Charitable Food Assistance Programs in eThekwini District, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
by Sizwe Makhunga, Mbuzeleni Hlongwa and Khumbulani Hlongwana
Sustainability 2025, 17(3), 1163; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17031163 - 31 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1287
Abstract
Background: Food insecurity is a major global problem, with over 2.8 billion people reported as unable to afford a healthy diet in 2022. While charitable food assistance programs (CFAPs) play an important role in improving food access, ensuring the quality and safety of [...] Read more.
Background: Food insecurity is a major global problem, with over 2.8 billion people reported as unable to afford a healthy diet in 2022. While charitable food assistance programs (CFAPs) play an important role in improving food access, ensuring the quality and safety of donated foods is crucial for safeguarding needy communities from food-related illnesses. This study evaluated the safety and quality of food donations at a food bank warehouse in the eThekwini District using a novel methodology. Methods: In March 2024, a five-day audit was conducted at a food bank warehouse in the eThekwini District, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. A mobile device was utilized to document comprehensive information on all incoming deliveries, including the type of food, product details (such as brand, name, and variety), donor information, weight, and date markings. The audit assessed 1037 items, totaling 64,818 kg of donated food, against established food safety standards. Each item was visually inspected upon arrival and classified as ‘unsuitable’, ‘potentially unsafe’, or ‘unsafe’ for human consumption. Results: Out of the 64,818 kg of donated food, 95.5% (61,886 kg) was deemed satisfactory. However, 4.5% of the total, which amounts to 2932 kg, was categorized as either unsafe (355 kg), potentially unsafe (1182 kg), or unsuitable (1395 kg) for consumption. Retail supermarkets donated the largest weight of food, and also of the food classified as unsafe or unsuitable. Conclusions: The study highlights an urgent need for improved quality control and safety measures in food donations to CFAPs. Stricter handling and inspection guidelines are essential to ensure the quality of charitable food, reduce health risks, and build public trust in donation programs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Security, Food Recovery, Food Quality, and Food Safety)
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18 pages, 2534 KiB  
Article
EU Citizens’ Perception of Risks Posed to the Sustainability of EU Food Security
by Fernando Mata, Diana Barros, Ricardo Pereira-Pinto and Preciosa Pires
Sustainability 2024, 16(22), 9840; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16229840 - 12 Nov 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1318
Abstract
Food security is a core global sustainability challenge and priority of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Events like COVID-19, extreme weather, and global conflicts have significantly impacted food prices, as evidenced by the FAO food price index rising from 95.1 in 2019 to [...] Read more.
Food security is a core global sustainability challenge and priority of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Events like COVID-19, extreme weather, and global conflicts have significantly impacted food prices, as evidenced by the FAO food price index rising from 95.1 in 2019 to 143.7 in 2022, heightening EU food security concerns. The European Commission responded with a food supply contingency plan. According to Eurobarometer data, our study shows that EU citizens’ food security concerns vary by demographic, political, and socioeconomic factors. While men prioritize external factors like climate change, women express greater concern for local social issues, including small farm viability. Age influences the concern focus, with younger people worried about agricultural stagnation, and older individuals recalling past economic crises. Education and income also play roles, with educated and wealthier citizens worried about environmental risks, and less educated, poorer individuals more concerned about socioeconomic impacts. Political leanings and urban/rural divides shape concerns, as well as EU policy dissatisfaction, which links to worries over economic vulnerability and nationalism. Effective EU food security policies require understanding complex factors, stakeholder collaboration, and tailored strategies for diverse needs. Our findings suggest the need for EU policies to incorporate demographic nuances, ensuring food security sustainability across socioeconomic and political spectrums. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Security, Food Recovery, Food Quality, and Food Safety)
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