Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems (Sep 2023)

Putting food in the driver’s seat: aligning food-systems policy to advance sustainability, health, and security

  • Elisabeth Andrews,
  • Angelina Sanderson Bellamy,
  • Food Policy Alliance Cymru,
  • Angelina Sanderson Bellamy,
  • Shea Buckland-Jones,
  • Rhys Evans,
  • Ruth Lawrence,
  • Terry Marsden,
  • Gary Mitchell,
  • Katie Palmer,
  • Holly Tomlinson,
  • Andrew Tuddenham,
  • Hannah Woodall,
  • Simon Wright

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1204194
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7

Abstract

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Food is a basic need, but seldom a basic policy area. Food systems are widely governed by disconnected policies distributed across a range of sectors including agriculture, education, health, environment, economy, and security. Failure to align food system strategies often results in these disparate policies operating at cross-purposes. Conventional food production and consumption practices contribute to biodiversity decline and climate change, cause diet-related health problems, are associated with worker exploitation, and create national security risks. Drawing on agroecology for cohesive national food strategies can provide benefits across all these sectors: supporting public health, environmental sustainability, economic stability, social cohesion, and national security and sovereignty.

Keywords