Highlights

• We examine seven main categories of the general limitations of food system framework and food system related frameworks

• Food system framework should consider the full life cycle of food from production to the phase of food wastes and loss

• Five perspectives of environmental, economic, institutional, socio-cultural, and nutritional dimensions are suggested for framework development

• The study provides corresponding recommendations to optimize a framework for resolving the triple burdens of malnutrition and food systems unsustainability

Abstract

Current studies on sustainability transitions of the food system (FS) are limited. The tools for assessing FS sustainability and enhancing FS performance are still lacking, highlighting the critical role of developing an assessment indicator framework for assisting sustainable FS transitions. This study seeks opportunities for optimizing existing FS frameworks that address the triple burden of malnutrition and FS sustainability. It examines FS frameworks and other food system-related frameworks such as those linked to food security, food sovereignty, and so on, unveiling the general limitations of current approaches and methodologies in FS frameworks and other related frameworks. To our knowledge, it is the first study to discuss the gaps of FS frameworks regarding their coverage on the food lifecycle and their representation of FS's multidimensionality. The results indicate that most FS frameworks and related frameworks are conceptual. The most frequent limitations are no targeting audience, no coverage of the food disposal stage, and no institutional/political dimension/indicators. Some frameworks have no multi-stakeholder inputs, no coverage of food input and/or food storage stages, no economic or nutritional dimension/indicators, while only a few frameworks involve statistical/empirical methods or quantitative indicators. Other limitations regarding language, data, and time are also identified. Finally, this study suggests developing a comprehensive multi-dimensional urban food system framework considering the full life cycle of food and combining FS-related perspectives with the five dimensions of environmental, economic, institutional, socio-cultural, and nutritional sustainability to mitigate the lifecycle and sustainability dimension issues and gaps.