Trends in the Global Food System and Implications for Institutional Foodservice

Abstract Actors in contemporary food systems have the potential to contribute to or hinder a broad range of outcomes related to human and environmental health and well-being, as well as to increase equity and sustainability along food value chains. At the same time, health professionals, food and agriculture businesses, environmental and poverty activists, and policymakers have all begun to acknowledge a core set of interrelated food systems challenges, namely: How to produce enough food in a sustainable manner, how to support those who produce our food to earn a viable livelihood, and how to access and maintain a healthy diet. Transformation of the global food system is clearly needed if we wish to embed equity, sustainability, and health as priorities in food provision and consumption. Some of these transformations will be facilitated through new technologies, while others will require public policy shifts, changes in the private agro-food industry, actions by civil society, and behavioral changes by individuals. This chapter presents an overview of alternative food initiatives led by non-profit organizations, public and private institutions, and consumers, all of which are proactively working to generate positive changes and impacts along food value chains. These efforts are transforming not only what people eat, but also how they think of food in relation to issues such as climate change, environmental degradation, and social justice. In this dynamic context, institutional foodservice actors and the consumers they serve sit at an important nexus within the food system, and have the potential to make decisions that cut across the challenges and opportunities to improve food system outcomes for people and the environment.