Corruption, Exploitation, and Global Food Supply Alignment

Global Food System and the Role of Corruption

The current food system is failing to provide nutritious foods for all. In attempt to make this system more sustainable and equitable, the importance of taking a food systems approach has been emphasized.  A food systems approach may help us to understand and address system-wide barriers to improving the food system, such as corruption. While corruption is present in many social and economic systems, there is a knowledge gap relating to its role in the global food system. As corruption has the potential to threaten food security, safety, equity, and social justice, it is critical we understand it in this context. Our aim is to systematically identify and synthesize literature focused on corruption in the food system to understand how corruption impacts the global food system; how it is defined and measured; where corruption exists in the food system; and whether there are any proposed solutions for addressing corruption in this context.

A systematic scoping review methodology will be undertaken. Identification: We will search Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, PsychInfo and Econlit using search terms combining corruption and the food system. Selection: We will screen titles and abstracts and extract data according to published guidelines for scoping reviews. All literature focused on corruption in the food system will be included. Synthesis: We will summarize key data from each study, mapping forms of corruption throughout the food system and capturing measures and definitions of corruption in use in the food system literature. We will conduct thematic analysis to understand the causes and consequences of food system corruption, as well as proposed solutions.

This scoping review will be the first to systematically summarize the literature relating to corruption’s role in the global food system and how it may contribute to the food system transition. Searching journals from multiple disciplines and using a comprehensive list of search terms, this study will attempt to provide an inclusive synthesis of corruption in the food system.

Alignment of the Global Food Supply with Dietary Guidelines

FAO/WHO have encouraged national governments to create food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) to support healthy diets. However, little is known about the extent to which food supply composition aligns with FBDGs, thereby structurally supporting or undermining population-level adherence. It is also unclear how this alignment has evolved over time. The aim of this study was to determine to what extent the global food supply aligns with FBDGs, and to examine historical trends.

Descriptive time series analysis of food supply alignment (FSA), 1961–2013. FSA was characterised as a ratio dividing country-level food supply data by FBDG across four food groups: fruit and vegetables (FV); sugar (SU); fish and seafood (FS); and red and processed meat (RP). FBDG data was collected from guidance produced by international bodies, and from countries with published FBDGs. The food supply was estimated using yearly FAOSTAT data. A population-weighted average of this ratio was created for all countries included in the analysis, and stratified by region and country income.

As of 2013, food supplies were not aligned with national and international FBDGs and misalignment persisted across five decades with subtantial variation in trends based on geography and country income. The long running nature of these trends suggest that the transition toward sustainable and healthful food systems represent a signifiant global challenge. Additionally, acknowledging the degree of misalignment between macro-level structural factors, such as the composition of the food supply, in relation to national or global food policy aims may further aid efforts for population level adherence.

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