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14. What is a food system and a sustainable, transparent, and

accountable food system?

According to FAO (2018), a food system change in the food system can be traced back
usually includes all actors and value-added to a minor system, such as a policy promoting
activities related to production, aggregation, more biofuels in the energy system.
processing, distribution, consumption According to Parsons K. et al., 2019 , the
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and issues of food waste generated from term “food system” is commonly used in
agriculture, forestry and fisheries, and other one of the following three ways: (i) system
elements of the socio-economic environment. components must be interconnected, and the
Thus, a food system brings together all factors people who influence and are influenced by
(environment, people, inputs, processes, the activities involved in getting food from
infrastructure, institutions, etc.) and activities farm to fork and beyond ; (ii) the food system
related to production, processing, distribution, in a particular locality or context; (iii) including
food preparation and consumption of food and all different food systems in different locations
the outputs of these activities, including their and contexts (i.e. multiple forms of “one food
socioeconomic and environmental impacts system”). This idea recognizes the diversity of
(HLPE 8, 2014) . Food systems is composed food systems at different scales with different
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of sub-systems (e.g. farming systems, waste characteristics, for example, agricultural
management systems, input supply systems, systems at the global and local scales.
etc.) and interact with other major systems
(e.g. energy systems, commercial systems,
health systems, etc.). Therefore, a structural

8 The High-Level Expert Panel on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE) (2014). Food loss and waste in the context of a sustainable
food system. Report of the High-Level Expert Panel on Food Security and Nutrition of the World Food Security Commission, Rome
2014

9 Parsons K, Hawkes C, Wells R. (2019). Summary 2. What is a food system? Food Policy Perspectives in Rethinking Food Policy: A
New Approach to Policy and Practice. London: Center for Food Policy

Guidelines for the Strategy for sustainable agriculture and rural development 43
in the period 2021-2030, and vision to 2050