**Preface to "Eco-Novel Food and Feed"**

To keep up with the dynamics of the food business, the food industry has for a permanent need to develop new food products, adjusting to consumer demands and, in the near future, to the scarcity of food resources and sustainability boundaries. With the expectation of a demographic burst from the current 7.8 billion up to 9 billion in less than three decades, the production of food—especially proteins—must be increased by about 70% to meet the population nutrition needs. The concepts of sustainable food production, food products as health and wellness promoters, the use of alternative ingredients such as new protein sources, and the use of by-products in designing food or feed formulations according to bioeconomic principles are current topics that act as driving forces for innovation. With the increasing awareness of our endangered planet, the finitude of resources, and climate change, sustainability is coming to the forefront of human conciousness and activities. Sustainability in the production of food ingredients and the economic viability of their production, as well as their subsequent transformation into well-accepted commercial food products, are essential for the progress of the food industry. These have a strong impact on the economy and wellbeing. The use of food industry by-products as a source of food ingredients (e.g., proteins, structuring biopolymers, fibers) along with underexplored sources of food (e.g., macro or microalgae, psyllium, insects) are some of the challenges in creating novel food or feed products for large or niche markets, such as vegan foods, gluten-free foods, salt- or sugar-free foods, etc. Finally, the consumer attitude towards new food products is a relevant issue for the success of the novelties, and should be assessed for close-to-market novel products. Innovation, eco-friendliness, and economics are the words for success of Eco-Novel Foods and Feed.

> **Isabel Sousa , Anabela Raymundo, Mar´ıa Dolores Torres** *Editors*
