Nutritional Transitions and Retail Dynamics in Food Systems
Summary
Nutritional transitions describe the shifts in dietary patterns that accompany demographic, economic and social change, most notably the movement from traditional diets rich in coarse grains, pulses and seasonal produce towards diets dominated by refined carbohydrates, added sugars, animal-source foods and ultra-processed products. These shifts are driven by urbanisation, rising incomes and globalisation of food chains. Retail dynamics encompass the evolution of food distribution systems—including the rise of supermarkets, convenience stores, informal markets and, more recently, e-commerce platforms—and their influence on the availability, affordability and desirability of different food types. Together, nutritional transitions and retail dynamics shape public health outcomes, environmental impacts and socio-economic inequalities. Highlighting both global trends and regional nuances, current research examines how supply-chain reconfiguration, technological innovation and policy interventions can steer food systems towards healthier, more sustainable and equitable futures.
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Nutritional Transitions and Retail Dynamics in Food Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in nutritional transitions and retail dynamics in food systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Nutritional transition: The progressive shift in population diets from staple-based, high-fibre foods towards diets rich in fats, sugars and ultra-processed products, typically linked to economic development and lifestyle change.
Food systems: The interconnected processes and actors involved in the production, processing, distribution, consumption and disposal of food, and their socio-economic and environmental outcomes.
Retail dynamics: The evolving structure, strategies and technologies of food distribution outlets—ranging from traditional marketplaces to supermarkets and online platforms—that determine food accessibility, affordability and consumer choice.
References
- Nutritional Analysis of the Spanish Population: A New Approach Using Public Data on Consumption. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2023).
- Unravelling the nutritional transition in Spain: From meat shortages to excess (1958–1990). Rural History (2024).
- Family farming in agroecological transition: a look at the marketing of milk and dairy products in municipalities of the Zona da Mata of Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Ciência Rural (2019).
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