Technological and Social Innovations for Sustainable Food System Transition
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Food".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 22 June 2026 | Viewed by 1
Special Issue Editors
Interests: food engineering; bioprocessing engineering; multiphysics modelling and simulation; valorisation of agrifood waste and by-products; sustainable food systems; alternative proteins; human rights; animal rights
Interests: modelling and simulation; digital twin in industry; computational fluid dynamics; food engineering; industrial engineering; logistics and supply chain management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
An overwhelming—and growing—body of evidence demonstrates that curbing the climate crisis requires a significant shift toward plant-forward diets. Moreover, building sustainable food systems is imperative for addressing the intertwined environmental and public health challenges of our time. This Special Issue focuses on technological and social innovations that can accelerate meaningful change across the food system, from primary production to consumption.
We invite interdisciplinary research on the following:
- Innovations in food engineering and biotechnology that reduce the environmental impacts of food production;
- Application of digital tools—such as simulation, artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, and precision agriculture technologies—to enhance the sustainability, transparency, and efficiency of food systems;
- Low-emission food products and waste valorization aligned with circular economy principles;
- Supply chain solutions that improve access to sustainable, healthy food and strengthen system resilience;
- Social innovations—including nudging, education, and policy—that support dietary shifts toward human and planetary health.
We ground this Special Issue in the understanding that true sustainability cannot rely on the exploitation of sentient beings or extractive practices that harm ecosystems. We call for a critical reassessment of the anthropocentric definitions of social responsibility and sustainability.
The goal is to consolidate evidence-based insights into how integrated innovations can build food systems that respect planetary boundaries, address the climate crisis, uphold food sovereignty, and protect both human and non-human life. This issue moves beyond superficial notions of sustainability by promoting scientifically rigorous and interdisciplinary approaches that combine engineering, biotechnology, environmental science, ethics, and socio-economic analysis.
Dr. Camila Perussello
Dr. Federico Solari
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
- sustainable food systems
- food engineering
- food supply chain
- life cycle assessment
- behavioural change
- food policy
- plant-forward diets
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.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
