Approaches for sustainable food production and consumption systems

During the last decades, the world’s population has been continuously increasing; consequently, so has the concern about the capability of the current food system for providing sufficient food for the 10 billion expected people in 30 years. Even though this challenge is considered feasible, some changes in the food production and consumption system are needed to achieve sustainability, reduce food loss waste, or contribute to a shift toward global healthier and more sustainable diets. Problems related to these three challenges include degradation of land ecosystems and agriculture practices, greenhouse gases associated with ruminant livestock, overexploitation of marine ecosystems, and the generation and accumulation of residues. In view of these problems, some solutions have been proposed such as the application of agroecology, the use of new alternative protein sources, the implementation of catch shares in fisheries management systems, and the revalorization of food loss waste. Furthermore, the transformation of current unhealthy dietary patterns to healthier ones entails other measures such as education on healthy diets or the development of new food products. This chapter diagnoses of the challenges and problems facing the current food system to provide for a growing world population while also ensuring the sustainability of the environment.