Abstract
In the vast, diverse and complex route of food from the soil to our plate, there are many interfaces with un/sustainability. The subject of food and its relation to planetary sustainability is old, and, at the same time, very new, and therefore can be considered a frontier field of study. Because it requires different sciences and multidisciplinary solutions, it can also be considered at the frontier of knowledge. The aim of this essay, of interdisciplinary authorship, is to paint an overview and offer a reflection on the complex issues involving the food system from the perspective of global sustainability. Initially, it presents a panorama of food production in the countryside, with growing use of chemicals products and the increase of livestock farming. Secondly, it shows relations between the urban food environment, obesity and incidence of noncommunicable diseases, while millions of people still go hungry. It then presents the new Health Food paradigm and discusses the Codex Alimentarius, the most important corpus juris for international food trade. And it ends by stating that there are various dimensions to relationship between food and sustainability besides the ecological one.
Keywords:
Food system; Sustainability; Food regulation; Global health