Food System glossary

Food systems comprise all the processes associated with food

production and food utilization: growing, harvesting, packaging,
processing, transporting, marketing, consuming and disposing of
Food system food. All these activities require inputs and result in products and/or
services, income and access to food, as well as environmental
impacts. A food system operates in and is influenced by social,
political, cultural, technological, economic and natural environments.
A way of making sense of the complexity of the world by looking at it
in terms of wholes and relationships rather than by splitting it down
Systems thinking
into its parts. It is used as a way of exploring and developing
effective action in complex contexts.
Complexity characterises the behaviour of a system or model whose
Complexity components interact in multiple ways, leading to nonlinearity,
randomness, collective dynamics, hierarchy, and emergence.
The food system approach describes the different elements in our
food system and the relationships between them: (1) the activities
relating to the production, processing, distribution and utilisation of
Food system approach food, (2) the socio-economic and environmental drivers of the food
system (3) the outcomes of these activities in terms of food security
(including nutrition), socio-economics (e.g. income, employment) and
the environment (e.g. biodiversity, climate).
refers to how to change food systems. It is important to note that
Food System transformation is a radical idea. It is not a tweak, but a complete
Transformation rethink of the attributes of a food system, including its purpose,
rules, and power structures. It is about reshaping the so-called

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 ‘normal’. Whether deliberately steered, or occurring autonomously,
there will be winners and losers in a transformation.
The food system is made up of a number of activities (agriculture
production, storing, processing, consumption, retailing) whose
primary aim is to increase food security. Activities in the food system
Food system activity
encompass not only activities within the value chain, but also service
organisations (business services) and the ‘enabling environment’
(e.g. food safety regulations).
Drivers of change are factors that are regarded as exogenous
(outside) to the change process. Thus population growth,
economic/macro-economic growth and urbanisation are key socio-
economic drivers of changes in the food system. Ecological or
Food system driver
environmental drivers are natural factors or factors affected by
human intervention which directly or indirectly bring about a change
in the ecosystem. Climate change, soil nutrients and land use are
major environmental drivers.
There are three types of food system outcomes: socio-economic,
environmental, and outcomes relating to food security.
• The socio-economic outcomes of the food system involve things like
the incomes and living conditions of farmers’ families and other
actors in the food system, as well as the employment and wealth that
these activities generate. They also involve the social, political and
human capital generated by these activities.
Food system outcome • Food security is often defined in the literature as a combination of
food utilisation, food access and food availability. Utilisation entails
the nutritional value, social value and safety of the product; access
involves food affordability, allocation and preferences; and availability
is about food production, distribution and exchange.
• The environmental outcomes of the food system – namely, its
impact on natural resources and the biophysical drivers of the food
system.
A food system has many different elements, including drivers,
activities and outcomes. To get insight, one needs to understand the
Food system characteristic
trends of these components on the basis of key indicators, as well as
synergies and trade-offs between them.
The different elements within a food system do not act
independently. As elements interact, systems reveal patterns of
Food system behaviour behaviour that determine the outcomes. Examining causal
relationships make it easier to understand system behaviour, and to
identify leverage points for system change.
Enabling environments create the conditions in which the system
functions, this includes both formal and informal elements that
facilitate or hinder change:
• Formal elements include public policies, governance structures,
Enabling environment regulatory frameworks, investment programs, and other formal
aspects of the policy environment.
• Informal elements include the social, cultural, and economic norms,
rules, and practices that influence how innovation actors, networks,
and systems function.
Food environments are the physical, economic, political and socio-
cultural contexts in which people engage with the food system to
make their decisions about acquiring, preparing and consuming food.
Food environments are a combination of the ‘spaces’ in which people
make decisions about food, and the foods and drinks that are made
Food environment available, accessible, affordable and desirable in those spaces. The
food environment concept shows us that the choices we make about
food are, to a significant degree, shaped by the contexts within
which they are made. Following from that is the recognition that the
most effective and equitable way to change food behaviours is to
change the structural factors that drive food choice.
Business services provide services and goods to the actors in the
Business Services system. This can involve training, agricultural inputs, technical
support or financial services.
People – through their knowledge, available time, resources
Consumer characteristics (purchasing power), age, sex, culture, religion, etc. – develop certain
preferences that influence their food choices.
Food Utilisation Food Utilisation is defined based on three factors:

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 • Nutritional value: how much of the daily requirements of calories,
vitamins, protein, and micronutrients are provided by the food people
consume.
• Social value: the social, religious and cultural functions and benefits
food provides.
• Food safety: toxic contamination introduced during producing,
processing and packaging, distribution or marketing food; and food-
borne diseases such as salmonella and CJD.
Access to food comprises of three main factors
• Affordability: the purchasing power of households or communities
relative to the price of food.
Food Access • Allocation: the economic, social and political mechanisms governing
when, where and how food can be accessed by consumers.
• Preference: social, religious or cultural norms and values that
influence consumer demand for certain types of food.
Food availability is dependent on three elements:
• Production: how much and which types of food are available
through local production.
Food Availability • Distribution: how food is made available (physically moved), in
what form, when and to whom.
• Exchange: how much of the available food is obtained through
exchange mechanisms such as barter, trade, purchase, or loans.
is an ex-ante assessment to inform the policies, strategies, or
Food system analysis programs that seek to contribute to systemic change in a food
system.
Is the starting point of any analysis and includes the level of
intervention and/or target group. It will define the boundaries of the
Food system objective food system analysis. Well-defined boundaries of the food system will
allow a more in-depth analysis; alternatively, ill-defined boundaries
will result in a shallow analysis.
Boundaries in the food system are often chosen to focus an analysis
of a particular system. These can be geographical, physical,
Food system boundary administrative or social boundaries. Well-defined boundaries of the
food system will allow a more in-depth analysis; alternatively, ill-
defined boundaries will result in a shallow analysis.
The assessment of key indicators, activities, drivers and outcomes as
Food system mapping well as understanding (historical) trends, synergies and trade-offs of
different food system parts.
A stakeholder analysis provides insight into the interests, mandates,
relationships and power levels of different actors in the food system.
Stakeholder analysis Understanding the stakeholders’ arena and who can activate leverage
points, can inform strategies for engagement with different actors in
order to achieve the formulated objective.
A combination of different actions or elements that strengthen each
Synergy other, leading to a result that is greater than the sum of their
individual impacts. Also referred to as ‘co-benefit’.
A trade-off is giving up of one thing in return for another.
Trade-offs are created where one target intensively uses resources
Trade-off necessary for the achievement of another target, or when
environmental degradation caused by the achievement of one target
limits the chances to achievement of another target.
Something that helps you start an activity. In food systems, entry
Entry-point points are the points where interventions can start after analysis, and
they are essential to achieve sustainable food system transitions.
Governance refers to the exercise of political and administrative
authority at all levels to manage a country’s affairs. It comprises the
mechanisms, processes and institutions, through which citizens and
groups articulate their interests, exercise their legal rights, meet their
obligations and mediate their differences. Democratic governance is
Governance
“a process of creating and sustaining an environment for inclusive
and responsive political processes and settlements. The institutional
and human capacities for governance determine the way in which the
effectiveness of public policies and strategies is attained, especially in
service delivery.
Is an overarching concept which highlights the idea that different
Multi-stakeholder
groups can share a common problem or aspiration, while nonetheless
partnership
having different interests or ‘stakes’. It is a way in which groups of

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 people can make decisions and take action for the collective good, be
it at local, national, or international scale.
The scientific field that studies the relationships between individuals
and society and between markets and the state, using a diverse set
Political economy
of tools and methods drawn largely from economics, political science,
and sociology.
System actors entail every individual, group and organisation that is
somehow involved in, or affected by, the food system. With their
actions and interactions they shape, reshape or block the food
Actors
system. Identifying the interests and influence of different actors, and
the underlying power dynamics and structures, helps to inform your
engagement strategies.
Any individual, group or organization that is somehow involved in,
Stakeholder and is directly or indirectly affecting or affected by activities in the
food system.
denotes fundamental social, technological, institutional and economic
Transition
change from one societal regime or dynamic equilibrium to another.
Social inclusion is defined as the process of improving the terms of
participation in society, particularly for people who are
Inclusion
disadvantaged, through enhancing opportunities, access to resources,
voice and respect for rights.
Any (subtle) attempt at influencing people's judgment, choice or
nudging
behavior in a predictable way.