Building Self-Sustainable Basic Food Systems: Role of Bioactive Components and Beyond in Science and Innovation

The world is actively seeking for ways to establish a global food system that demonstrates sustainability in the realms of food security, food safety, and nutrition security. Reflecting on the profound impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing war in Ukraine, and accelerated climate crisis with extreme weather events, there arises an urgent necessity for reevaluating the current approach in building sustainable food systems. This contribution considers opportunities and limitations in moving towards more self-sustainable food systems, particularly for basic foods. It also emphasizes the need for caution when contemplating the pursuit of this endeavor and discusses key issues pertaining to basic foods, deforestation, renewable energies, workforce, supply chains, and the environment. Lastly, the roles of science and innovation within the framework of national self-sustaining basic foods systems are elucidated, including opportunities in optimizing the utilization of food bioactive components. It is anticipated that the framework can serve as a tool to foster the development of comprehensive policies that suits the particular needs and development stage of each country. These policies, in turn, will advance the implementation of technologies, promote culture cultivation, and facilitate education and training, all geared towards achieving the goals of a more resilient and sustainable food system.