Ioana Mihaela Balan

Background: Food waste is often framed as a technical or awareness problem, yet it persists most in societies best equipped to prevent it, pointing to overconsumption rather than logistics alone. This study tests whether food-system abundance, environmental pressure and food waste co-vary across countries, and whether food ethics and food citizenship help explain it. Methods: Using cross-country indicators from FAO, WHO, Global Carbon Project, World Bank, and UNEP for 20 purposively selected countries, a composite Systemic Pressure Index (five standardised indicators: dietary energy supply, obesity, meat consumption, CO₂ emissions, food waste) yielded a three-tier typology, cross-checked with principal component analysis. Results: Tier 1 (US, Australia, Mexico, Romania, Greece, Brazil, Poland) shows the highest abundance and pressure. Food waste, however, loads on a distinct PCA dimension (PC2, 20.8% variance, r = 0.93 vs. r = 0.33 with PC1); the lowest-pressure tier splits into an affluent-moderate subtype (Sweden, Japan; among the lowest food-waste levels in the sample (with only the Netherlands, Tier 2, recording a lower figure)) and a lower-income/constrained subtype with comparatively high waste (125.6 kg/capita/year) despite minimal consumption. Conclusions: Food waste is comparatively weakly associated with the abundance dimension rather than behaving as a direct by-product of it. Food ethics and food citizenship offer an interpretative framework pointing toward differentiated, behavioural and policy interventions for food security and sustainability across typology tiers, rather than a demonstrated causal outcome.

Background: Food waste is often framed as a technical or awareness problem, yet it persists most in societies best equipped to prevent it, pointing to overconsumption rather than logistics alone. This study tests whether food-system abundance, environmental pressure and food waste covary across countries, and whether food ethics and food citizenship help explain it. Methods: Using cross-country indicators from FAO, WHO, Global Carbon Project, World Bank, and UNEP for 20 purposively selected countries, a composite Systemic Pressure Index (five standardised indicators: dietary energy supply, obesity, meat consumption, CO₂ emissions, food waste) yielded a three-tier typology, cross-checked with principal component analysis. Results: Tier 1 (US, Australia, Mexico, Romania, Greece, Brazil, Poland) shows the highest abundance and pressure. Food waste, however, loads on a distinct PCA dimension (PC2, 20.8% variance, r = 0.93 vs r = 0.33 with PC1); the lowest-pressure tier splits into an affluent-moderate subtype (Sweden, Japan; lowest waste, 80.3 kg/capita/year) and a lower-income/constrained subtype with comparatively high waste (125.6 kg/capita/year) despite minimal consumption. Conclusions: Food waste behaves as a comparatively independent outcome rather than a by-product of abundance. Food ethics and food citizenship translate into differentiated, behavioural and policy interventions for food security and sustainability across typology tiers.

Background/Objectives: Food system assessments in Sub-Saharan Africa have predominantly focused on caloric availability, often overlooking the structural and nutritional quality of the food supply. This study examines what drives and constrains food system transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa under different development pathways, using long-term changes in caloric availability, adjusted protein density, the balance between animal and plant proteins, and the diversification of animal protein sources as the empirical basis for this assessment. Methods: The analysis is based on data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for the period 1961–2023, covering Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Africa and Ethiopia. A longitudinal approach was applied where data were available, complemented by a recent comparative analysis (2010–2023). Derived indicators include total protein supply, adjusted protein density, the share of animal and plant proteins and the Herfindahl–Hirschman index (HHI) to assess the diversification of animal protein sources. Results: Findings show that increases in caloric availability are not consistently associated with improvements in adjusted protein density or nutritional quality. Significant differences are observed across countries in protein supply levels, structural composition, and diversification patterns. Results reveal heterogeneous trajectories of food systems, from diversified to structurally constrained or highly concentrated systems. Conclusions: Beyond caloric availability, the structure and quality of the food supply are essential for assessing food system performance. Quantitative gains alone do not ensure improved nutritional or sustainable outcomes. The study highlights the importance of considering protein supply structure, diversification and nutritional efficiency in the context of SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and broader food system transformation.

Background/Objectives: Food system assessments in Sub-Saharan Africa have pre-dominantly focused on caloric availability, often overlooking the structural and nutri-tional quality of the food supply. This study aims to analyze long-term changes in caloric availability and the structure of the protein supply, focusing on adjusted protein density, the balance between animal and plant proteins, and the diversification of animal protein sources. Methods: The analysis is based on data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for the period 1961–2023, covering Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Africa and Ethiopia. A longitudinal approach was applied where data were available, complemented by a recent comparative analysis (2010–2023). Derived indicators include total protein supply, ad-justed protein density, the share of animal and plant proteins and the Her-findahl-Hirschman index (HHI) to assess the diversification of animal protein sources. Results: Findings show that increases in caloric availability are not consistently associated with improvements in adjusted protein density or nutritional quality. Significant dif-ferences are observed across countries in protein supply levels, structural composition, and diversification patterns. Results reveal heterogeneous trajectories of food systems, from diversified to structurally constrained or highly concentrated systems. Conclusions: Beyond caloric availability, the structure and quality of the food supply are essential for assessing food system performance. Quantitative gains alone do not ensure improved nutritional or sustainable outcomes. The study highlights the importance of considering protein supply structure, diversification and nutritional efficiency in the context of SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and broader food system transformation.

This article explores the integration of food ethics as a proposed fifth and emerging pillar of food security, complementing the four dimensions established by the FAO 1996 framework (availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability). Using Romania as a case study, the research combines descriptive statistical analysis, legislative review, and conceptual interpretation to examine how moral responsibility, social equity, and food citizenship shape sustainable food systems. Quantitative data from Eurostat (2020–2022) reveal that Romania generates over 3.4 million tons of food waste annually, with households accounting for more than half of the total. This wasted abundance coexists with persistent food insecurity, affecting 14.7% of the population who cannot afford a protein-based meal even once every second day. Given the short time series (n = 3), including the entire data that was reported to date and the exclusive use of secondary data, the statistical results are interpreted descriptively and, where applicable, exploratorily. In this context, the findings demonstrate that food waste is not merely an issue of economic inefficiency, but rather a profound ethical and social imbalance. This research argues for the conceptual recognition of an ethical pillar within the food security framework linking moral awareness, responsible consumption, and equitable access to food. By advancing food ethics as a normative and societal foundation of sustainable food systems, this article offers a framework relevant for policy design, civic engagement, and collective responsibility, reframing food security beyond a purely technical objective.

Globally, aquaculture has become the main source of aquatic products, taking over the growth of global demand and reducing the pressure on capture fisheries, which have been stagnating globally for over three decades. The rapid growth of aquaculture is essential for achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda, in particular SDG 2: Zero Hunger and SDG 14: Life Below Water, in the context of overexploitation of wild stocks. Analysis of data for Serbia, Romania, EU, and the global level shows the same direction: increasing dependence on aquaculture and decreasing wild catches. Serbia shows variations in production and a continuous decline in capture fisheries, while Romania maintains stable aquaculture, while fishing has decreased sharply in the last decade. In the EU, the decline in catches is constant. These trends highlight the need for public policies that support sustainable aquaculture as a key element of food resilience and the protection of aquatic resources.

This article explores the integration of food ethics as a fifth, emerging pillar of food security, complementing the four dimensions established by FAO (availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability). Using Romania as a case study, the research combines statistical analysis, legislative review, and conceptual interpretation to examine how moral responsibility, social equity, and food citizenship leads to sustainable food systems. Quantitative data from Eurostat (2020–2022) reveal that Romania generates over 3.4 million tons of food waste annually, with households accounting for more than half of the total. This wasted abundance coexists with persistent food insecurity, affecting 14.7% of the population who cannot afford a protein-based meal even once every second day. The findings demonstrate that food waste is not merely an issue of economic inefficiency but a profound ethical and social imbalance. The research concludes the need to introduce an ethical pillar in the conceptual framework of food security, linking moral awareness, responsible consumption, and equitable access to food. By advancing food ethics as a normative foundation of sustainable food systems, the article offers a new paradigm for policy design, civic engagement, and collective responsibility, transforming food security from a technical objective into a moral commitment.