Pages: 10

Chapter 1 is an introductory chapter which provides an overview of the key messages and takeaways to follow in the main body of the book. The book brings together many disciplines relating to food science, law, agriculture, business, nutrition, anthropology and archaeology, intellectual property, food and culture, and a human rights element. The book is designed to be truly multi-disciplinary with a focus on the need to assess our changing food landscape through the lens of sustainability and the environment; having regard to the many impacts and influences that combine to highlight the important challenges we all face globally in terms of food security. Elements from each important area are combined to paint a cohesive picture of our food history, current position, and way forward.

Pages: 20

This chapter explores the historical and contemporary effect of food as a colonising force from both the European and Italian experiences. It also investigates the link between capitalism and the commodification of food, shedding light on the function of GATT in shaping the global food chain. Chapter 2 takes a critical view of the current landscape, emphasising the urgent requirement for Sustainable Food Systems Governance. It presents compelling facts and figures, involving aspects like food waste, biodiversity loss, health, and farmers’ livelihood. Moreover, it showcases viable solutions, taking examples from the European counterparts and proposing a blueprint for Sustainable Food Systems. Lastly, the chapter offers insightful recommendations for developing a legal framework that incorporates sustainable objectives and principles, aimed at an “integrated food system approach.”

Pages: 20

In terms of food security, agricultural practices are a subject of concern. Often, considerations about the need for sufficient food production to feed the growing population are often coupled with concerns about unsustainable food systems. In this chapter, forms of balancing between two interests, that of environmental sustainability and food sustainability, which are not divergent, but rather complementary, are discussed. These are, in particular, agroforestry management practices that reconcile nature conservation with economic and social benefits. Chapter 3 shows both environmental and food sustainability can be achieved using agroforestry management practice, promoting conservation of nature while also providing economic and social benefits. This chapter provides an example of how regenerative farming can aid in reaching food security targets.

Pages: 20

This chapter will look at the impact of human food choice on the environment through time. It will draw on archaeological evidence to examine how domestication of plants and animals played a key role in changing biomes, often leading to social and environmental degradation. Case studies will include the introduction of sheep to Australia, cattle grazing in the Americas, and large-scale wheat farming in the ancient Near East and Mediterranean. The chapter will highlight the ways in which each of these practices dramatically altered native biomes and played a key role in human malnutrition. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the lessons learned from history to improve the future of our planet through a balanced consideration of the impact of human food choices on the sustainability of our future food systems.

Pages: 13

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted not only the food systems and food security around the globe but also the health and resilience of the population. The virus brought about huge changes to food cultures. It altered food systems; logistics, lockdowns, and food supply issues returned people to cooking with regional ingredients and preferring to buy food from local producers. This chapter reviews and explores the impacts of COVID-19. It also suggests the way forward after the pandemic. Landmark events such as COVID-19 tend to produce significant upstream impacts, both in terms of production focus and drivers of economic change. With all changes, there are winners and losers. Overall, the benefits in terms of choice, health, community awareness of different cuisines, and economic incentives to change are all positive outcomes of the COVID-19 crisis.

Pages: 14

Alternative protein products are needed to replace animal-based products that have high environmental footprints. Novel protein innovations may face some regulatory hurdles before they can be released to the market. We compare and discuss the legal rules on novel protein products in specific jurisdictions. Authorisations for various plant-based proteins, for example, for leghaemoglobin have been applied and received. In the United States and Singapore, cultured meat is already authorised, Australia is in the midst of authorisation, and the European Union is expecting an application soon. Several insect species have been authorised in the European Union, three (3) insects do not require authorisation in Australia, and the United States tolerates insects. With GMOs, the European Union has been the strictest, currently, the EU rules for gene-edited crops are changing. In relation to the labelling of plant-based alternative foods, the regulatory landscape is still developing in most areas, with regulations expected to be coherent in the coming years in the European Union, United States, and Australia.

Pages: 21

In this chapter, we discuss health claims as an avenue for the competing demands of science-based regulatory scrutiny, and consumer wants and needs. We compare two regulatory systems, those in Australia and the European Union, to analyse the regulatory strategies and propose solutions that could be effective, efficient as well as fair in regulating food health claims. Misleading claims appear to escape scrutiny in Australia when an industry-standard self-justification process is applied. The European Union, in turn, has a strict and bureaucratic approval process for health claims, which can hamper business innovation. To expand our discussion, and to understand the context for how regulatory issues can be managed and communicated at the business level, we recognise and highlight the realities for companies trying to compete in a difficult global marketplace while they are trying to achieve sales targets in extremely complex and sometimes unstable markets.

Pages: 16

Can acknowledging human rights - in particular, the right to food and the right to a healthy environment alongside granting legal personality and rights to natural entities like landscape and ecosystem - bring about a viable solution to food insecurity and its related concerns? This chapter investigates the legal and cultural framework necessary for an effective acknowledgement and enforcement of both human and natural rights. It also examines the legal instruments and policies that can facilitate their implementation. In the past, the view was that climate change is primarily an environmental concern. While this is true, to some degree, as the climate crisis encompasses global-scale environmental issues such as global warming, biodiversity loss, desertification, and rising oceans, it is inaccurate to confine it within environmentalism alone. This paper looks broadly at all challenges and the interconnected elements present in the challenges.

Pages: 13

There are scientific and technological disparities between countries leading to polarised development. Scientific and technological breakthroughs are crucial to achieve food security. However, due to a lack of practical cooperation between universities and research institutes with the industry on environmental and agricultural projects as an important factor for food security, achieving agricultural sustainability and food security remains impossible yet. Although modern smart technologies and biotechnology can be tools for securing continuing agricultural productivity and food security, most countries - particularly the least developed countries (LDC) - do not have access to these technologies. The roots of unequal accessibility to new technologies are influenced by the political, legal, economic, or social status of countries. Clarifying one reason as a boundary for technological development and accessibility is hard if not impossible. Meanwhile, a commonly accepted factor for the development and deployment of new technologies in the national market are intellectual property rights. In this chapter, we hope to provide practical solutions for accelerating the flow of technology into the agrifood sector to achieve food security. Green intellectual property is recommended as a pathway to stimulate research and development, relying on collaboration between government, universities, and the industry in nations with different levels of development or different IP regimes.

Pages: 13

In this chapter, the author introduces Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a key driver of business; both in terms of delivering a social good and also in terms of wealth creation. In other words, doing good for society is good for business. The author emphasises that while issues of food security and the production of nutritionally sound food are a common thread overall in this book, CSR has a broader business focus as part of the machinery of producing many economy-wide goods and services for the benefit of a broad range of stakeholders. The need for businesses to produce nutritionally sound food (and its wider implications for food security) is but one element served by businesses in a CSR context. While the aspect of food production is used for the purpose of providing some examples, readers are reminded of this important distinction as the role of business is explained in this chapter.

Pages: 13

This chapter focuses on malnutrition and the availability of healthy food from the perspective of human capability. It discusses various types of malnutrition, including their biological implications, endemic nature, and socio-economic consequences. The chapter concludes that malnutrition is caused by a lack of essential capabilities, such as access to education and healthcare, which are necessary for basic biological survival. Therefore, access to nutritious food is crucial to promote optimal conditions for survival.

Pages: 18

This chapter delves into the complex relationship that exists between Islamic dietary laws, halal certification procedures, and emerging food technologies within the context of Malaysia“s socio-cultural landscape. Through an in-depth analysis, this chapter aims to disentangle the complexities that surround the idea of future food and its profound implications on the regulatory framework that is currently in place for halal certification in Malaysia. The chapter also emphasises the significance of adhering to Islamic principles and stringent standards. The implications posed by novel food sources, such as lab-grown meats and the consumption of insects, are discussed through the lenses of Islamic dietary laws. This analysis evaluates the compatibility of these novel food sources with halal requirements and ethical considerations within various interpretations of Islamic jurisprudence. The purpose of this chapter is to contribute to the ongoing discourse concerning food security, sustainability, and ethical consumption practices within the Muslim community and beyond. It does so by fostering dialogue and providing valuable insights into the changing landscape of future food, all while upholding the principles of halal and ṭayyib consumption.