The Role of Aquatic Food in Nutrition-Sensitive Sustainable Food Systems

Dear Colleagues, 

Food systems have the potential to nurture human health and support environmental sustainability; however, they are currently threatening both. Providing a growing global population with healthy diets from sustainable food systems is an immediate challenge. Although the global food production of calories has kept pace with population growth, more than 820 million people still have insufficient food, and close to 2 billion people suffer from micronutrient malnutrition, commonly called “hidden hunger”. Hidden hunger is particularly detrimental to young children, women of childbearing age, and the poorest segments of populations in developing countries. Food-based approaches promote the consumption of foods that are naturally rich in micronutrients or are enriched through fortification. Aquatic food is highly diverse, from both nutritional and sustainability perspectives, due to the large number of species utilized and the multitude of production technologies used to produce them. Additionally, in many high-income countries, people are advised to increase their seafood consumption, which together with population and economic growth leads to a rapidly growing demand. Letting the most sustainable and nutritious forms of aquatic foods replace less-sustainable and/or nutritious terrestrial foods holds great potential to contribute to both global food provision and sustainable food and nutrition security. Estimated sustainable supply curves of food from the sea suggest substantial possibilities for future expansion—mainly in aquaculture, but also in fisheries and through improved catch utilization. However, aquatic food is often not visible in food-based approaches to combat micronutrient deficiency, for example, it is not mentioned as a food provider in SDG2, not mentioned as a health provider in SDG3, and inland fisheries (providing 10–30% of global catch) are not mentioned in SDG14. In the management of fisheries and aquaculture, the focus is production-centered. In this Special Issue, we shift the focus from production to consumption and aim to increase the visibility of aquatic resources as sustainable food that can contribute to “end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects for everyone, everywhere” (The Sustainable Development Agenda).

Dr. Marian Kjellevold
Dr. Friederike Ziegler
Guest Editors

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• Aquatic food
• Food system
• SDG 2, 3, 12, 14
• Hidden hunger
• Micronutrient source
• Seafood
• Sustainability
• LCA
• Fisheries
• Aquaculture