Background Indigenous Peoples protect biodiversity, reduce environmental degradation, and supply sustainable foods to their communities. Indigenous Peoples value and respect food and limit food wastage. Existing industrialized mainstream food systems can benefit from interactions with Indigenous People. Integration of science-based and Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge helps address the challenges facing current and future food systems. This is especially important in the face of climate change, which worsens the unsustainability of food systems. Scope and Approach The review describes traditional knowledge and practices used by Indigenous Peoples to provide nutritious and diverse foods, to preserve biodiversity and to protect the environment. It emphasizes the importance of valuing Indigenous knowledge and combining their insights into management of natural resources to co-develop approaches to improve food security and sustainability. The opportunities and strategies to increase connectivity between Indigenous Peoples and mainstream food systems are discussed. Key Findings and Conclusion Lessons learnt from experience-based practices of Indigenous Peoples’ food systems offer strategies for transitioning to more sustainable food systems. Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge and practices of regenerative food systems are based on diversity, flexibility, and adaptability. Leveraging of Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge and practices strengthens food systems and can help in the development of strategies to feed the world more sustainably. Combining the traditional knowledge of Indigenous Peoples with current food production, food preparation and processing enable inter-connections of food systems that may lead to mutual benefits for future food systems co-development.

Stone tools were the oldest pressure-related food processing tools (approx. 3.3 million years ago) until the use of fire for thermal processing (approx. 0.5–0.3 million years ago) became the prime food processing aid. During the last 40 years, gentle, resource-efficient pressure-related technologies for partial replacement of thermal processes were developed and gained rapid dissemination and acceptance. This paper provides an overview of food processes where pressure is the key mode of action ranging from negative pressures (below 0.00001 MPa) to very high pressure (1400 MPa). Working principles, applications, advantages/limitations as well as needs and opportunities for these processes using dynamic or static pressures are presented. Based on the high number of existing and developing pressure-related unit operations, we propose a new pressure-based food processes classifications system organized in pressure ranges (max. 0.1, 1.0, 10, 100, 1000, > 1000 MPa) embracing the temperature range used in food processing.

Chitin, the second most abundant natural polysaccharide was isolated in the year 1811 and chitosan, its deacetylated form, was introduced in 1859. One thousand billion tons of chitin are generated annually, much of it by food-related organisms including shellfish, mollusks, fungi and insects. Despite the abundance of these versatile biodegradable materials, food process engineering data and applications of chitin and chitosan are still limited. This paper aims to present ways for expanding food uses of chitin/chitosan-based materials, discussing their sources, resource efficient recovery and processing. It investigates the generation of chitin and chitosan from various sources using chemical processes and biological processes, as well as the complementary use of emerging food processes to enhance recovery of chitin. Food production, food processing, packaging and nutritional applications for chitin and chitosan are presented as well as future needs and opportunities to convert and upscale these valuable natural polysaccharides from food waste to food applications. A better understanding of the structure-function relationships of chitin and chitosan recovered from various sources, the generation of critical food process engineering data as well as the development of enhanced recovery processes and scale up procedues are needed to realize the full potential of chitin and chitosan derived from food waste.

Food loss and waste occur along the whole food supply chain. The perceptions of food waste and how it is used have changed over time. Prior to and during WWII, household food scraps and leftovers were reused and even upgraded into delicacies which are still valued even today. Currently about one third of food produced for human consumption is wasted and this accounts for a carbon and water footprint of 4.4 giga tons of CO2 equivalents and 250 km3 of blue water, respectively. In addition, food waste is responsible for significant wastage of land used for agriculture and 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Consumer food waste is a major source of the current food waste crisis. As consumer behavior is a key driver of food waste, strategies for reduction and avoidance of waste should appeal to consumers' individual values. Ways to prevent food waste, reuse and upscale recycling and recovery are reviewed. The potential of using waste for future food preparation, food waste avoidance tools and technologies are presented. Urgent action is needed for implementation of waste reduction interventions and more efficient food redistribution systems to improve food security and sustainability.

Many underutilized food resources have been traditionally used by regional and poor communities. The history of their consumption makes them potential new food sources for incorporation into the wider food supply. The ability to tap the potential of undervalued and underutilized food sources will reduce the world's reliance on a limited number of food sources and improve food security and sustainability. The expansion of the food diversity of the food supply to include underutilized food resources will require overcoming challenges in the efficient and profitable production of the raw material, application of suitable postharvest handling procedures to maintain the quality of perishable produce, and the use of appropriate traditional and emerging food processing technologies for conversion of the raw material into safe, nutritious and consumer-acceptable foods. Improvement of food processing technologies, particularly resource-efficient resilient food processes, are required to ensure the safety, quality and functionality of the whole food or extracts, and to develop ingredient formulations containing new foods for manufacture of consumer food products. Factors that help facilitate the social acceptance of new underutilized foods include increasing consumer knowledge and understanding of the contribution of new underutilized food resources to diet diversity for good nutrition, confidence in the safety and value of new foods, and their low environmental impact and importance for future sustainable food. The introduction of new underutilized food resources will increasingly require collaboration along the whole food value chain, including support from government and industry. © 2024 The Author(s). Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Background: Food processing is under severe criticism despite of its 3.3 million years history and despite of all advancements in food safety, quality and functionality. Criticisms lack understanding of differences between unit operation-based processing and food ingredients addition-based formulations. A balanced presentation of importance, advantages, disadvantages, food processing responsibilities and challenges is needed. Scope and approach: The paper discusses the role of food processing to ensure sustainable and healthy diets. It presents origins, aims and purpose of food processing, food safety, dietary and food systems sustainability aspects. Food processing missions and responsibilities to meet current nutritional challenges are demonstrated and the aims of food processing are presented.Key findings and conclusions: Advantages of food processing, including safety, nutritional and sensory aspects, convenience, independence, waste reduction are greater than the disadvantages like nutrient reduction, generation of undesired compounds or functionality changes. Recent food technology innovations aid caloric intake reduction, enhance health benefits of foods, improve food safety, reduce allergy and food waste issues, enable stable but fresh foods. Mounting responsibilities towards food processing over the last 80 years are presented and how emerging technologies have been directed towards nutritional quality enhancement, provision of improved food functionalities, resource efficiency and food safety extension. The paper calls for improved integration of all players involved within food systems, to communicate and learn for each other, to respect each other and collectively work on the responsibilities ahead.

Current food systems reduce, deplete and pollute our limited global resources.

Restoring global food systems to improve sustainability.

The annual global amount of water consumed to produce food ranges from 600,000 to 2.5 million liters per capita depending on food habits and food waste generation. Humans need approximately 2–3 L of water daily to maintain health, but only 0.01% of the world’s water is drinkable. Food supplies cannot be generated without land, water, and energy use. The current use of water for production of food is most concerning and requires immediate and increased awareness. Minimal attention has been devoted to the increasing water scarcity and loss of drinking water. Food waste also contains water and therefore also adds to water scarcity that is affecting almost 4 billion people. We summarize the human need of water, its significance for life and for the production, processing, and consumption of foods. This review includes an examination of the history of water; the unique properties of water for sustaining life; water for food production including agriculture, horticulture, and mariculture; the properties of water exploited in food processing; water scarcity due to water demands exceeding availability or access; and its consequences for our world. Means to reduce water scarcity, including using water treatment and promoting change of human habits, are discussed. The future of water and the recommendations for action are proposed for decreasing water scarcity and reducing water use during food production, food processing, food preparation, and consumption.

Humans need food processing assuring food safety, quality, and functionality to sustain their life. The ongoing debates regarding food processing require rational and scientific data about food processing and processed foods. This study deals with the importance, origins, and history of processing, defining processes and discussing existing food classification systems and provides recommendations for future food process development. Descriptions and comparisons of technologies for food preservation, their resource efficiency, and beneficial aspects in relation to traditional processing are summarized. Possibilities for pretreatments or combination application and related potentials are provided. A consumer-oriented paradigm change is presented using the potential of resilient technologies for food product improvements rather than the traditional adaptation of raw materials to existing processes. Means for food science and technology research toward dietary changes by transparent, gentle, and resource-efficient processes for consumers food preference, acceptance, and needs are provided.

The current food systems require change to improve sustainability resilience. Humans need food and food requires natural resources which have been consistently reduced, destroyed, or eliminated during human development, and excessive during the last 50-70 years. Though essential, there has been less of a focus on the inter-relations and inter-dependences of our food supply with and on the world's eco-system and organisms. Integrating evidence for the importance of plants, the microbiota in plants, animals and humans and their reciprocal effects of their interactions on food systems is essential for creating more inclusive strategies for future food systems. This review examines the role of plants, microorganisms, plant-microbial, animal-microbial, and human-microbial interactions, their co-evolution on the food supply and human and eco-systems well-being. It also recognizes the contribution of indigenous knowledge for lasting protection of the land, managing resources and biodiversity and the usefulness of food processing for producing safe, tasty, and nutritious food sustainably. We demonstrate that new targets and priorities for harnessing science and technology for improving food and nutritional security and avoiding environmental degradation and biodiversity loss are urgently needed. For improved long-term sustainability, the benefits of technology and ecosystem interactions must be unlocked.

With a doubling of the human population during the last 45 years and Earth's annual resources being already depleted mid-year, it becomes increasingly clear that the food systems need to change. The most common food related needs required are drastic changes of the current food production systems, diet change and food loss/waste reduction. As for agriculture no further land expansion is responsible and more food needs to be grown sustainably on less land and on healthy soils. For food processing, gentle, regenerative technologies have to generate healthy foods based on consumer requirements. Organic (ecological) food production is increasing worldwide but the interface between production and processing of organic foods is still hazy. This paper reviews the history and current state of organic agriculture and organic foods. Existing norms for organic food processing and urgent needs for their gentle, consumer-oriented processing are presented. Key issues such as production systems integration, water efficiency, plant and soil microbiota, biodiversity and supplementary food production systems are discussed. Processing of organic foods using fermentation, microbial/food biotechnological processes and sustainable technologies for retaining desirable nutrients and removing undesirable ones are proposed. Environment and consumer-oriented concepts for future production and processing of human food supplies are proposed.

This paper deals with the question about how early humans managed to feed themselves, and how they preserved and stored food for times of need. It attempts to show how humans interacted with their environments and demonstrate what lessons can be learnt from the about 3.4 million years of food processing and preservation. It includes a discussion about how hominins shifted from consumption of nuts and berries toward meat and learnt to control and use fire. Cooking with fire generated more food-related energy and enabled humans to have more mobility. The main trust of the paper is on historical food preservations, organized from the perspectives of key mechanical, thermal, biological and chemical processes. Emerging food processes are also highlighted. Furthermore, how humans historically dealt with food storage and packaging and how early humans interacted with their given environments are discussed. Learnings from the history of food preservation and culinary practices of our ancestors provide us with an understanding of their culture and how they adapted and lived with their given environments to ensure adequacy of food supply. Collaboration between food scientists and anthropologists is advocated as this adds another dimension to building resilient and sustainable food systems for the future.

In this study experiments were performed using a batch pulsed electric field (PEF) system at different electric field strengths with a voltage of 35 kV and pulse frequency of 3 Hz, at 20 and 40°C, with pulse width between 0.8 and 1.0 µs, to evaluate the inactivation of Escherichia coli in pumpkin juice and nectar. The performance of the PEF technology can vary as a function of several process parameters and the conditions and procedures applied. The physicochemical characteristics (pH, total soluble solids, electrical conductivity) of the pumpkin juice were also evaluated. The juice showed 5.01 ± 0.01 of pH, 10.70 ± 0.11 (mS cm-1) of electric conductivity and 9.85 ± 0.07 of soluble solids while in nectar, these parameters were changed to 5.11 ± 0.01 of pH, 8.54 ± 0.21 of electric conductivity and 6.40 ± 0.12 of soluble solids. The use of a temperature of 40°C and pumpkin nectar (70:30, juice: distilled water) showed no difference in the bacterial reduction compared to 20°C and using 100% pumpkin juice, since in non-thermal processes it is better to use lower temperatures for less energy expenditure and less possibility of changes in raw material. The data showed that the PEF treatment reduced the microbial load moderately in all experiments, by a maximum of approximately 2.5 - 3 log cycles with 80 J g-1 of specific energy and above 26,000 V cm-1 of field strength

The present global food waste problem threatens food systems sustainability and our planet. The generation of food waste stems from the interacting factors of the need for food production, food access and availability, motivations and ignorance around food purchase and consumption, and market constraints. Food waste has increased over time. This is related to the change in how humans value food through the generations and altered human food consumption and food discard behaviors. There is also a lack of understanding of the impacts of current food production, processing and consumption patterns on food waste creation. This review examines the cultural, religious, social and economic factors influencing attitudes to food and their effects on food waste generation. The lessons from history about how humans strove toward zero waste are covered. We review the important drivers of food waste: waste for profit, food diversion to feed, waste for convenience, labeling, food service waste and household food waste. We discuss strategies for food waste reduction: recovery of food and food ingredients, waste conversion to energy and food, reducing waste from production/processing and reducing consumer food waste, and emphasize the need for all stakeholders to work together to reduce food waste.

Background: The concepts of sustainability and food systems have developed over time and their definitions vary depending on different discipline perspectives. There has been an evolution of the term sustainability, particularly as it relates to the sustainability of food systems. However, most discussions around food systems sustainability focus on food production and nutrition, and omit considerations of major parts of the food value chain, notably food processing and preparation. Scope and approach: In this review, the transitions required to move from linear food chains to closed loop systems to the wider food web for more sustainable food systems are discussed. The interdependencies between resource use, the activities in the food chain and various sustainability indicators are considered. A model for stimulating discussion about the complexity of value chains in the food web is presented. Key findings and conclusions: There is an urgent need for radical change in the food system to ensure the long term sustainability of the planet. Clear, understandable and globally accepted definitions and indicators for sustainability need to be developed. The increasing complexities in food value chains have to be considered when developing solutions for enhancing food systems sustainability. Food processing and preparation have crucial roles in transforming existing food systems to make them more sustainable. A systems-based approach to developing sustainable food systems, that includes improving natural resource use, reducing environmental impact, examining new food resources, enhancing consumer trust and understanding, and developing profitable market opportunity-led solutions for food and nutrition security, is required.

Five years ago, with the editorial board of Frontiers in Nutrition, we took a leap of faith to outline the Goals for Nutrition Science – the way we see it ( 1 ). Now, in 2020, we can put ourselves to the test and take a look back. Without a doubt we got it right with several of the key directions. To name a few, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Food and Nutrition are part of the global public agenda, and the SDGs contribute to the structuring of international science and research. Nutritional Science has become a critical element in strengthening work on the SDGs, and the development of appropriate methodologies is built on the groundwork of acquiring and analyzing big datasets. Investigation of the Human Microbiome is providing novel insight on the interrelationship between nutrition, the immune system and disease. Finally, with an advanced definition of the gut-brain-axis we are getting a glimpse into the potential for Nutrition and Brain Health. Various milestones have been achieved, and any look into the future will have to consider the lessons learned from Covid-19 and the sobering awareness about the frailty of our food systems in ensuring global food security. With a view into the coming 5 years from 2020 to 2025, the editorial board has taken a slightly different approach as compared to the previous Goals article. A mind map has been created to outline the key topics in nutrition science. Not surprisingly, when looking ahead, the majority of scientific investigation required will be in the areas of health and sustainability. Johannes le Coutre, Field Chief Editor, Frontiers in Nutrition.

Background: Food processing has been used to convert raw agricultural produce into edible, safe, healthy and nutritious food products and to preserve foods. Emerging non-thermal processing technologies enable achievement of microbial and chemical safety, whilst improving nutritional quality, physical and sensory properties of food products. Food processing is an essential tool in feeding the increasing world population. Scope and approach: The aims of the review are to (i) emphasize the necessity of food processing for converting raw produce into food products and how it has evolved in response to the global challenge of food security and sustainability and (ii) examine the validity of the use of extent of processing for classification of foods. The similarities between unit operations used in industrial food processing and culinary practices are highlighted. The benefits of emerging food processing technologies for producing safe and nutritious foods are described. Food classification systems based on nutrient composition and extent of processing are discussed. The limitations of the NOVA classification of foods and the use of the term "ultra-processed food" in public health messages around nutritional diets are deliberated. Key findings and conclusions: Responsible food processing combined with re-formulation and recombining of ingredients improve the diversity of nutritious foods for modern diets. Confusion about the classification of processed and ultra-processed foods and calls to avoid such foods dismiss the necessity of processing for food and nutritional security. Nutritional advice for population health should be based on sound scientific evidence of nutritional value.

Background: Uncertainty is a fact of scientific life. The myriad of factors affecting the integrity of highly complex and diverse food materials contributes to uncertainty in scientific assessment. Conscious ignorance, the absence of fact or clarity, results in communal gaps of knowledge. Uncertainty and conscious ignorance drive scientists to ask better research questions. This paper is a plea for increasing the genuine state of knowledge in food science and technology. Scope and approach: Various illustrations from food science and technology and at the interfaces of food, environment and health are provided to demonstrate the gaps in knowledge and uncertainty in the science of food systems. Uncertainties in the science of water and nutrient availability, microorganisms and human microbiota, food waste, emerging technologies, food structure, packaging, consumer acceptance, fermentation, and new raw materials are discussed. Opportunities for future research are suggested. Although there has been significant progress, it is essential to gain further insights into food systems from long-term research with well-designed, carefully executed experiments. Key findings and conclusions: There is frequent reporting of observational data in food science. Without exploring the root causes for an observation, understanding limitations and accepting uncertainties in data, significant advancement in science understanding is often thwarted. Solving difficult problems in food and at its interfaces will require transdisciplinary integrative approaches to address the sustainability of future food systems. Realization and acceptance of the usefulness and relevance of food science to solve global challenges will help afford food science the recognition it deserves.