Sustainable Food Production: Challenges, Opportunities and Advancements

Dear Colleagues,

The food industry is one of the most important branches of national economies in the European Union as well as in the world in general, and it plays a central role in the processing of agricultural raw materials and in the food supply. While in the past it was a struggle for people to find their daily meals, and only local and seasonal products were consumed, nowadays, people in the Western world are surrounded by different types, qualities, and prices of food products. Furthermore, the situation has changed drastically, especially in the 20^th century, as a result of civilization, industrialization, technological innovations, mechanization, and economic growth, as well as an increasing global population. Until the end of the 20^th century, the prevalent policy was mainly to increase food production without improving the efficiency of the food systems. This fact caused an increase in food loss and food waste, such that the amount of lost or wasted food is now 1.3 billion tonnes globally each year. This situation has triggered a series of environmental challenges that may threaten human survival. Climate change, loss of biodiversity, accumulation of waste, resource depletion (water, fossil fuels, etc.), growing disease pandemics, and the modification of natural ecosystems are some of the results of human activities. The agri-food industry is one of the world’s largest industries and is responsible for 25% of the total emissions of greenhouse gases. Therefore, improving food production systems is one of the major actions that needs to be done urgently to reduce the global impacts on the environment. Recently, three main innovation directions for future food systems were highlighted: 1) sustainability and higher efficiency—production at the lowest possible cost; 2) innovation opportunity, which refers to new scientific and technical approaches in food processing and the introduction of novel foods; and 3) the development of functional foods focused on post-consumption health and well-being.

This Special Issue, titled “Sustainable Food Production: Challenges, Opportunities, and Advancements”, focuses on reviews and original research articles regarding all aspects of sustainable food production. Sustainable techniques and processes, sustainable packaging, life cycles of products, food waste/by-product valorization, the reduction of waste, energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, sustainability, and higher efficiency are all examples of topics that may be included in this Special Issue. However, papers on other aspects of sustainable food production are also welcome.

Dr. Antun Jozinović
Guest Editor

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