These comments are a contribution to giving focus to the issues to be addressed in the HLPE e consultation.
The simple typology of 4 principal food systems [Gomez and Ricketts, Food Policy 42 (2013) 139-150] should be adequate to conceptualise food systems. Each may differ to some degree in expression in relation to their geography and food products, in the economic, social, infrastructural and political environments within which they operate and key detailed case study exemplars will be required to draw out the nuanced differences within each system. The 4 systems can readily embrace the supply of food products and nutrition from agriculture and pastoralism , aquaculture and capture fisheries production.
These are:-
- Traditional (short chain often small-scale producer (agriculture/aquaculture or harvest fisheries to traders and consumers in wet markets
- Modern (Complex globally-oriented supply chains, technology oriented, based on commercial larger scale farming, with a higher proportion of processed and manufactured (added value) products, ability to handle both dry goods and fresh produce in chill chains, and retailed to consumers through supermarkets and food service companies).
- Modern-to-traditional (Domestic and multinational food manufacturers sell through traditional wholesaler, trader and small local stores)
- Traditional to modern (supermarkets and food manufacturers source product from small scale producers and wholesalers.
The principle questions which the study should specifically be addressing are:-
- What is the relative importance of each of the different food systems in delivering total nutrition in different countries/regions of the world (ie what shares of consumption and nutrition do these systems account for)?
- What is the extent to which these systems are delivering adequate and appropriate nutrition to meet the needs of consumers?
- Are and will these systems be fit for purpose in the context of the continuing and future dynamic impacts of economic growth, urbanisation, global population growth and structural change on environmental sustainability and food security?
- If not, what are the economic policy levers and other approaches to remove constraints( inter alia in supply chain infrastructure, social and cultural norms, income levels and distribution, value chain costs, food choice, availability, affordability and quality) to induce change and adjustment in consumption and diet?
It is axiomatic that consumers will seek to enhance the variety in their diets when they have the means and ability to do so. In particular, we need to understand more about how economic growth, urbanisation and technological innovation affect the rate of food system change and evolution, consumption and nutrition. These include issues such as :-
i. how retail concentration and super marketing affect food choice, affordability and availability
ii. the opportunity of small scale producers and rural communities to engage with modern supply chains and its impact on their incomes, diet and nutrition;
iii. the relative proportions of nutrition derived from processed and opposed to fresh foods, and their respective income elasticities of demand (many aggregate income elasticities of demand are estimated at the undifferentiated commodity-level eg beef, cereals etc)
iv. an understanding of own and cross (substitute) price elasticities of demand for different food types (and hence for their nutrient contents). This is particularly relevant where taxation of product content such as sugars/fats may be considered as approaches to reducing over consumption of products which can have adverse impacts on health (including obesity).
Brian Revell