Page 14 - GUIDELINES FOR FOOD SYSTEM PROFILE DEVELOPMENT at sub-national levels in Vietnam

Food system (external) drivers

• Drivers of food systems encompass factors that directly or indirectly affect the
dynamics of food systems (Béné et al., 2019; HLPE, 2017). These drivers can
be categorized into seven main groups: climate change, globalization and trade,
income growth and distribution, urbanization, population growth and migration,
politics and leadership, and socio-cultural context (Fanzo et al., 2020).

Food system constituent elements

• The food supply chain comprises the activities and actors involved in the
movement of food from production to consumption including the disposal of
waste. The key stages of the food supply chain include food production systems
and input supply, storage and distribution, processing and packaging, retail and
marketing.

• The food environment refers to the physical, economic, political and socio-cultural
context in which consumers engage with the food system to make their decisions
about acquiring, preparing and consuming food. The key elements of the food
environment that influence consumer food choices include food availability, food
affordability, product properties, vendor properties, and food messaging.

• Individual factors encompass a person’s economic status, overall life situation,
thought process, and behavior. These factors influence how individuals interact
with their food environment and ultimately determine their food choices,
preparation, and consumption.

• Consumer behavior encompasses all the choices and decisions made by
consumers, both at the household and individual levels, regarding the acquisition
of food, the selection of food stores, the preparation, cooking, and consumption
of purchased food, and the allocation of food within the household.

Food system outcomes

• Diets comprise all the food that an individual habitually consumes. Dietary patterns
refer to the quantities, proportions, and combinations of different foods and beverages
that individuals habitually consume and the frequency with which they do so.

• Nutrition and health outcomes encompass the nutritional status of individuals,
including undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, overweight, and obesity, as well
as their health status. Nutrition and health status encompasses diet-related non-
communicable diseases such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, cancer, and stroke.

14 Guidelines for food system profile development at sub-national levels in Vietnam