Places to Intervene to Make Complex Food Systems More Healthy, Green, Fair, and Affordable

TLDR

A 2009 Food Systems and Public Health conference convened to explore research supporting healthy, green, fair, and affordable food systems, and systems thinking offers insight into the challenges and opportunities to achieve these goals. The authors applied a complex systems framework and an intervention-level framework (paradigm, goals, system structure, feedback, delays, structural elements) to analyze conference materials and compare themes of healthy, green, fair, and affordable food systems. The analysis suggests that actions at the system‑structure level to promote healthy, green, fair, and affordable food systems are largely compatible, but at the paradigm and goal level, achieving health and greenness while keeping food affordable presents conflicts.

Abstract

A Food Systems and Public Health conference was convened in April 2009 to consider research supporting food systems that are healthy, green, fair, and affordable. We used a complex systems framework to examine the contents of background material provided to conference participants. Application of our intervention-level framework (paradigm, goals, system structure, feedback and delays, structural elements) enabled comparison of the conference themes of healthy, green, fair, and affordable. At the level of system structure suggested actions to achieve these goals are fairly compatible, including broad public discussion and implementation of policies and programs that support sustainable food production and distribution. At the level of paradigm and goals, the challenge of making healthy and green food affordable becomes apparent as some actions may be in conflict. Systems thinking can provide insight into the challenges and opportunities to act to make the food supply more healthy, green, fair, and affordable.