Abstract
The interest in food system discourse has been increasing over time, however, the understanding of what makes a food system is still subject to variations depending on research focus. While the earlier discourse was mainly value chain centered, the recent years have witnessed a shift in focus towards a more holistic view embracing the complex character of food systems. An indispensable component of the food systems approach is the food system outcomes representing the results, or consequences, of the food system activities. This mini-review is based on a systematic literature review of food system outcomes and aims to provide an overview of different discourses underpinning the food system outcomes while outlining the ones with a potential contribution to the transformation towards sustainable food systems. The variety of discourses spans from food (and nutrition) security and global environmental change to resilience and food system sustainability, potential performance assessments and metrics and, finally, the food systems transformation. Important outcomes within each of the discourses are highlighted and certain existing gaps are pointed out. While all discourses are essential for the overall understanding of the outcomes, these are certain commonalities in the discourses that bear synergetic potential for facilitating the transition to sustainable food systems.
Highlights
The food system (FS) discourse received increased attention in the past decade
FS outcomes could act as a transformation gate capable of aligning FSs with the 2030 Agenda
The mini-review uncovered some important interactions between the FS outcomes discourses suggesting that for a successful transformation, it would be essential to treat outcomes systemically
Summary
The food system (FS) discourse received increased attention in the past decade. It is recognized that food and agriculture are the cross-cutting elements of the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations connecting its 17 Sustainable Development Goals and helping to achieve multiple, if not all of them (EEA, 2017; FAO, 2018). To streamline the process of food systems transformation, it is crucial to apply the FSs approach taking into account the complexity of existing interactions and feedback mechanisms (Niles et al, 2017; Bortoletti and Lomax, 2019). A good starting point would be to gain better understanding about FS outcomes This mini-review aims to shed light on the multitude of FS outcomes and uncover the broader discourses underpinning them while highlighting the ones of particular importance for the transformation process. Six broader discourses were identified spanning from food (and nutrition) security and global environmental change to sustainability, the overall FSs performance, resilience, and, transformation (see Table 2). Food security is defined as a situation “when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary and food preferences
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