概要

The advent of the food system is an exemplary phenomenon that industrializes agriculture to secure food availability for the ever-growing population. However, food system activities have been causing negative impacts on the environment and the imbalanced global distribution of food causes food insecurity in many developing countries. These challenges have been intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. On the supply side of the food system, confinement measures and logistical disruptions have caused farm production implications. On the demand side, food producers themselves have been severely impacted by further food insecurity and poverty. This paper aims to firstly highlight the socioeconomic drivers and barriers of trade and globalization in the food systems. Extending from these findings, this paper seeks to promote better and more sustainable ways to operate, produce, trade and handle food along the supply chain – one that does not harm those who produce them and does not contribute to the negative impacts on the environment. The use of Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) in this case have been identified to meet those requirements and also help to foster transparency and traceability in the production of agri-foods.