Comprehensive Literature Review on Food Sustainability Challenges

This literature review delves into the multifaceted concept of food sustainability, examining critical aspects that contribute to a resilient and secure food system. It explores nutrient adequacy, emphasizing the importance of optimal nutrition and the challenges in assessment. The review further investigates ecosystem stability, highlighting the role of redundancy and diversity in maintaining healthy agroecosystems. It also addresses food availability and affordability, recognizing these as fundamental pillars of food security. Socio-cultural well-being is examined, acknowledging the role of food in social identity and cultural diversity. The review also explores the concept of resilience in food systems, acknowledging the impact of various drivers of change. Furthermore, it emphasizes food safety practices and strategies for waste and loss reduction. The review draws on multiple sources to provide a comprehensive overview of the challenges and opportunities in building a more sustainable food future.

Running head: FOOD SUSTAINABILITY
FOOD SUSTAINABILITY
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Literature Review
Nutrient Adequacy
Nutrient adequacy is being nutrition secure by energy’s appropriate consumption and
every essential nutrient in sufficient quantity over time. Nutrient adequacy would lead to status
of optimal nutrition where both over nutrition and under nutrition are being avoided. In clinical
settings, this is not possible often in obtaining accurate intakes of nutrient and HPs should
depend on indices calculated in anthropometric measurements through standardized charts and
tables for assessment results’ evaluation. Different stages or levels for repletion or depletion
must be considered as they might need separate assessment methodologies. Micronutrient’s
blood values would not reflect necessarily status or intakes along with different mechanisms of
storage of different nutrients (Accorsi, et al., 2016). Individual’s nutrient adequacy could be
achieved through following integrated and systematic approach of assessment, screening,
diagnosis as well as implementation of proper MNT plans. The HPs must be aware that several
methodological along with interpretation, education tools and evaluation are there for assisting.
Ecosystem Stability
Ecosystem could be said to have ecological stability if this has capability to return to state
of equilibrium after perturbation. Ecosystem stability is sustainability’s essential corollary. Over
time, function and structure of healthy ecosystem must remain stable relatively, even in
disturbance. If disturbance or stress alter ecosystem must be able in bouncing back quickly.
Ecosystem disturbance could be human induced or natural stress. Natural disturbance’s example
is tornado or hurricane. Human induced disturbance’s example is pesticide or tillage application.
Redundancy within ecosystem function and structure infers system’s stability (Melkonyan, et al.,

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2017). As functional and structural diversity are reduced by agroecosystems, less resilience is
there than the natural systems. Concept related with stability of ecosystem is Intermediate
Disturbance Hypothesis that states that diversity’s highest levels are supported in disturbance’s
intermediate levels. Ecosystems which experience disturbance’s intermediate levels would have
greatest redundancy, highest diversity and greatest stability.
Food: Availability or Affordability
Availability of food determines rate of development, behavior as well as survival of the
animals. Animals which hibernate or enter diapause in response of shortage of food have double
advantage. They could adapt in cellular as well as environmental challenges as well as survive to
such challenges for prolonged time. Access to food is one of security pillars of food. Security of
food encompasses both physical as well as economic access for food (Carvalho, 2017). Security
of food is based upon four pillars: availability, access, use and stability in availability.
Availability of food is sufficient amount of food that is available on consistent basis.
Affordability of food could be defined as nutritional value, food safety and social value.
Socio Cultural Well being
Food choices as well as dietary patterns represent central aspect in basis of human
cultural and social diversity. Such ideas are been in focus for classical research of anthropology
over food habits as well as eating preferences. Role of the food preparation as well as
consumption are highlighted for social identity’s development, between people with immigrant
background. Physiological and metabolic adaptations which make possible hibernation and
diapause provide also favorable environment of tissue protection.

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Resilience
Food systems should provide adequate, sufficient as well as accessible food to everyone
in sustainable way. It is major challenge:
 Food system is exposed increasingly to drivers for change, ranging from the sudden
shocks to stressors of long term. Several drivers could be hard in prediction and hence
hard in managing.
 Food system is intrinsically complicated. They comprise several different processes,
actors, interactions and value chains (Miller, et al., 2016). The outcomes affect several
stakeholders as well as sectors in diverse. Hence, food systems along with the outcomes
are tough in predicting and managing.
Food safety
It is referred to handling, storing and preparing food in way for reducing risk of the
individuals becoming ill form the foodborne illness. It is global concern which covers variety of
several areas of per day life. Food safety’s principle aim in preventing food in becoming
contaminated as well as causing poisoning of food. It is achieved by variety of several avenues
such as properly cleaning as well as sanitizing every surface, utensils and equipment (FOOD,
2016). Maintaining personal hygiene’s high level. Storing, heating and chilling food correctly
with respect to environment, equipment and temperature. Comprehending food poisoning, food
tolerance and food allergies.
Waste and Loss reduction
Food waste and loss have several negative economic as well as environmental impacts.
They represent wasted investment which could reduce incomes of farmers and increase expenses

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of consumers (Willersinn, et al., 2017). Food waste and loss host impacts, which includes
unnecessary gas emissions as well as inefficiently used land and water.

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References
Accorsi, R., Cholette, S., Manzini, R., Pini, C., & Penazzi, S. (2016). The land-network problem:
ecosystem carbon balance in planning sustainable agro-food supply chains. Journal of
Cleaner Production, 112, 158-171.
Carvalho, F. P. (2017). Pesticides, environment, and food safety. Food and Energy
Security, 6(2), 48-60.
FOOD, S. (2016). Global initiative on food loss and waste reduction. Key facts on food loss and
waste you should know.
Melkonyan, A., Krumme, K., Gruchmann, T., & De La Torre, G. (2017). Sustainability
assessment and climate change resilience in food production and supply. Energy
Procedia, 123, 131-138.
Miller, V., Yusuf, S., Chow, C. K., Dehghan, M., Corsi, D. J., Lock, K., ... & Mony, P. (2016).
Availability, affordability, and consumption of fruits and vegetables in 18 countries
across income levels: findings from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE)
study. The lancet global health, 4(10), e695-e703.
Willersinn, C., Mouron, P., Mack, G., & Siegrist, M. (2017). Food loss reduction from an
environmental, socio-economic and consumer perspective–The case of the Swiss potato
market. Waste management, 59, 451-464.