IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i7p2804-d1617585.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Integration of Nutritional and Sustainability Metrics in Food Security Assessment: A Scoping Review

Author

Listed:
  • Rodica Siminiuc

    (Faculty of Food Technology, Technical University of Moldova, 168, Stefan Cel Mare Bd, MD-2004 Chisinau, Moldova)

  • Dinu Țurcanu

    (Faculty of Food Technology, Technical University of Moldova, 168, Stefan Cel Mare Bd, MD-2004 Chisinau, Moldova)

  • Sergiu Siminiuc

    (Faculty of Computers, Informatics and Microelectronics, Technical University of Moldova, MD-2004 Chisinau, Moldova)

  • Anna Vîrlan

    (Faculty of Food Technology, Technical University of Moldova, 168, Stefan Cel Mare Bd, MD-2004 Chisinau, Moldova)

Abstract

Background: Food security and sustainability are interconnected, yet the integration of nutritional and environmental metrics into food security assessments remains insufficiently explored. Objectives: This scoping review maps the literature on the integration of nutritional and sustainability metrics in food security, investigating the methods used, existing findings, and research gaps. A special focus is placed on Eastern Europe, including the Republic of Moldova, due to shared challenges in food security and the potential for adapting validated methodologies from this region. Eligibility Criteria and Sources of Evidence: His study includes articles from Web of Science and Scopus (2015–2025), published in English and Romanian, that analyze food security alongside nutritional and sustainability factors, following the Population, Concept, Context (PCC) framework. Charting Methods: The extracted data were synthesized narratively and visualized thematically, analyzing temporal trends and the geographical distribution of studies. Results: Out of 247 identified publications, 115 were included. The use of sustainability indicators has increased since 2020; however, economic and social dimensions remain underexplored. Conclusions: Developing an integrated methodological framework is essential for correlating the nutritional, ecological, and economic impact of food consumption. Future research should prioritize the development of standardized methodologies and broaden the scope of analysis, particularly in underrepresented regions such as Eastern Europe.

Suggested Citation

  • Rodica Siminiuc & Dinu Țurcanu & Sergiu Siminiuc & Anna Vîrlan, 2025. "Integration of Nutritional and Sustainability Metrics in Food Security Assessment: A Scoping Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-24, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:7:p:2804-:d:1617585
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/7/2804/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/7/2804/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Waheed Mobolaji Ashagidigbi & Olajumoke Oluwatoyosi Orilua & Kehinde Ademola Olagunju & Abiodun Olusola Omotayo, 2022. "Gender, Empowerment and Food Security Status of Households in Nigeria," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-13, July.
    2. Ze Han & Xinqi Zheng & Lingling Hou & Nan Xiao & Xiangzheng Deng, 2024. "Changes in China’s food security driven by nutrition security and resource constraints," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(3), pages 7927-7945, March.
    3. Chris Vogliano & Jessica E. Raneri & Jane Coad & Shane Tutua & Carol Wham & Carl Lachat & Barbara Burlingame, 2021. "Dietary agrobiodiversity for improved nutrition and health outcomes within a transitioning indigenous Solomon Island food system," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(4), pages 819-847, August.
    4. Victoria Constanza Ramenzoni & Vanessa Vázquez Sánchez & Diana Valdés Massó & Armando Rangel Rivero & Daily Yanetsy Borroto Escuela & Daniel J. Hoffman, 2023. "When the Sugar Runs Out: Transitioning Agricultural Systems and Their Effect on Dietary Diversity in Yaguajay, Central Cuba," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-22, August.
    5. Hom Gartaula & Kirit Patel & Derek Johnson & Rachana Devkota & Kamal Khadka & Pashupati Chaudhary, 2017. "From food security to food wellbeing: examining food security through the lens of food wellbeing in Nepal’s rapidly changing agrarian landscape," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 34(3), pages 573-589, September.
    6. Abhishek Chaudhary & David Gustafson & Alexander Mathys, 2018. "Multi-indicator sustainability assessment of global food systems," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 9(1), pages 1-13, December.
    7. Milbank, Charlotte, 2023. "Associating dietary quality and forest cover in India," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    8. Simphiwe Innocentia Hlatshwayo & Rob Slotow & Mjabuliseni Simon Cloapas Ngidi, 2023. "The Role of Smallholder Farming on Rural Household Dietary Diversity," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-16, February.
    9. Rocchi, Benedetto & Romano, Donato & Hamza, Raid, 2013. "Agriculture reform and food crisis in Syria: Impacts on poverty and inequality," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 190-203.
    10. Aoife Brennan & Sarah Browne, 2021. "Food Waste and Nutrition Quality in the Context of Public Health: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-26, May.
    11. Azad Ilhan & Rumeysa Yenicag & Ece Yalcin Pehlivan & Ebru Ozturk & Sevilay Karahan & Neslişah Rakıcıoğlu, 2023. "Greenhouse Gas Emission and Water Footprint of the National Diet in Turkey: Results from Turkey Nutrition and Health Survey 2017," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-13, June.
    12. Katri Joensuu & Eric Harrison & Hanna Hartikainen, 2022. "What to Do with Food Waste? A Holistic Feasibility Framework to Evaluate Different Solutions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-15, October.
    13. Odountan Ambaliou Olounlade & Gu-Cheng Li & Sènakpon E. Haroll Kokoye & François Vihôdé Dossouhoui & Kuassi Auxence Aristide Akpa & Dessalegn Anshiso & Gauthier Biaou, 2020. "Impact of Participation in Contract Farming on Smallholder Farmers’ Income and Food Security in Rural Benin: PSM and LATE Parameter Combined," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-19, January.
    14. Anghinoni, Guilherme & Anghinoni, Fernanda Brunetta Godinho & Tormena, Cássio Antonio & Braccini, Alessandro Lucca & de Carvalho Mendes, Ieda & Zancanaro, Leandro & Lal, Rattan, 2021. "Conservation agriculture strengthen sustainability of Brazilian grain production and food security," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    15. Matteo Vittuari & Fabio De Menna & Silvia Gaiani & Luca Falasconi & Alessandro Politano & Jana Dietershagen & Andrea Segrè, 2017. "The Second Life of Food: An Assessment of the Social Impact of Food Redistribution Activities in Emilia Romagna, Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-14, October.
    16. Rodica Siminiuc & Dinu Țurcanu & Anna Vîrlan, 2024. "Urban–Rural Disparities in Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Fuel Consumption in Moldovan Households and Implications for Energy Policies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(24), pages 1-14, December.
    17. Tendai P. Chibarabada & Albert T. Modi & Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi, 2017. "Expounding the Value of Grain Legumes in the Semi- and Arid Tropics," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-25, January.
    18. Kevin Obiero & Paul Meulenbroek & Silke Drexler & Adamneh Dagne & Peter Akoll & Robinson Odong & Boaz Kaunda-Arara & Herwig Waidbacher, 2019. "The Contribution of Fish to Food and Nutrition Security in Eastern Africa: Emerging Trends and Future Outlooks," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-15, March.
    19. Edinam Dope Setsoafia & Wanglin Ma & Alan Renwick, 2022. "Effects of sustainable agricultural practices on farm income and food security in northern Ghana," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 10(1), pages 1-15, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Rocco Addorisio & Roberta Spadoni & Giulia Maesano, 2025. "Adoption of Innovative Technologies for Sustainable Agriculture: A Scoping Review of the System Domain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-28, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Xiuling Ding & Qian Lu & Lipeng Li & Apurbo Sarkar & Hua Li, 2023. "Does Labor Transfer Improve Farmers’ Willingness to Withdraw from Farming?—A Bivariate Probit Modeling Approach," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-27, August.
    2. Ayla Amamou & Safa Chabouh & Lilia Sidhom & Alaeddine Zouari & Abdelkader Mami, 2025. "Agri-Food Supply Chain Sustainability Indicators from a Multi-Capital Perspective: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-34, May.
    3. Stoeckli, Sabrina & Merian, Sybilla & Wanner, Silvan & Stucki, Matthias & Chaudhary, Abhishek, 2024. "Advancing Biodiversity Footprinting for Food-Related Behavior Change," OSF Preprints zpvq4, Center for Open Science.
    4. Ahmad Yaghoubi Farani & Saeid Hedayati Nia & Karwan Shanazi & Pouria Ataie & Karim Naderi Mahdei & Hossein Azadi, 2025. "Soil conservation projects and their consequences: the behavior analysis of Iranian farmers," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 27(4), pages 9447-9476, April.
    5. Anshuman Gunawat & Devesh Sharma & Aditya Sharma & Swatantra Kumar Dubey, 2022. "Assessment of climate change impact and potential adaptation measures on wheat yield using the DSSAT model in the semi-arid environment," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 111(2), pages 2077-2096, March.
    6. Edward E. Onumah & Elizabeth A. Quaye & Anderson K. Ahwireng & Benjamin B. Campion, 2020. "Fish Consumption Behaviour and Perception of Food Security of Low-Income Households in Urban Areas of Ghana," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-16, September.
    7. Kozicka, Marta & Enahoro, Dolapo & Groot, Jeroen C.J. & Rich, Karl M. & Gotor, Elisabetta, 2021. "The Future of Sustainable Development and Agrobiodiversity in Tanzania and Uganda," SocArXiv d2rgx, Center for Open Science.
    8. Campi, Mercedes & Dueñas, Marco & Fagiolo, Giorgio, 2021. "Specialization in food production affects global food security and food systems sustainability," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    9. Mpandeli, S. & Naidoo, D. & Mabhaudhi, T. & Nhemachena, Charles & Nhamo, Luxon & Liphadzi, S. & Hlahla, S. & Modi, A. T., "undated". "Climate change adaptation through the water-energy-food nexus in southern Africa," Papers published in Journals (Open Access) H048960, International Water Management Institute.
    10. Leonardo Salvatore Alaimo & Mariantonietta Fiore & Antonino Galati, 2020. "How the Covid-19 Pandemic Is Changing Online Food Shopping Human Behaviour in Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-18, November.
    11. Whijin Kim & Rastislav Skalsky & Christian Folberth & Sujong Lee & Dmitry Schepaschenko & Florian Kraxner & Joon Kim & Chang-Gil Kim & Seong-Woo Jeon & Yowhan Son & Woo-Kyun Lee, 2025. "A Comparative Assessment of Food Security in South and North Korea Using Food Demand and Supply," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-18, August.
    12. Balikisu Osman, 2023. "Climate and Food Insecurity Risks: Identifying Exposure and Vulnerabilities in the Post-Food Production System of Northern Ghana," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-19, November.
    13. Jonathan E. Barnsley & Chanjief Chandrakumar & Carlos Gonzalez-Fischer & Paul E. Eme & Bridget E. P. Bourke & Nick W. Smith & Lakshmi A. Dave & Warren C. McNabb & Harry Clark & David J. Frame & John L, 2021. "Lifetime Climate Impacts of Diet Transitions: A Novel Climate Change Accounting Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-18, May.
    14. Ian M. Kirimi & Moses M. Muraya & Shelmith W. Munyiri & James K. Kiramana, 2024. "Factors Influencing Selection and production of Common Bean Cultivars in medium Potential Agro Ecological Zone of Imenti South Sub-County, Kenya," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(8), pages 3990-3999, August.
    15. Mebratu Negera & Zeleke Agide Dejen & Dagmawi Melaku & Desalegn Tegegne & Muluken Elias Adamseged & Amare Haileslassie, 2025. "Agricultural Productivity of Solar Pump and Water Harvesting Irrigation Technologies and Their Impacts on Smallholder Farmers’ Income and Food Security: Evidence from Ethiopia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-32, February.
    16. Carla Gonçalves & Sónia Saraiva & Fernando Nunes & Cristina Saraiva, 2023. "Food Waste in Public Food Service Sector—Surplus and Leftovers," Resources, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-10, October.
    17. Oarabile Mogobe & Nashaat M. Mazrui & Mangaliso J. Gondwe & Ketlhatlogile Mosepele & Wellington R. L. Masamba, 2024. "Nutrient composition of common fish species in the Okavango Delta: potential contribution to nutrition security," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(8), pages 19731-19753, August.
    18. Hu, Miao & Bian, Yongtao & Ji, Guangxing, 2025. "Assessing the sustainability of China's coastal regions: A perspective on local coupling and telecoupling," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 501(C).
    19. Valentin Grecu & Radu-Ilie-Gabriel Ciobotea & Adrian Florea, 2020. "Software Application for Organizational Sustainability Performance Assessment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-28, May.
    20. Mzime Ndebele-Murisa & Chipo Plaxedes Mubaya & Chipo Hazel Dekesa & Angela Samundengo & Fanuel Kapute & Rodrigue Yossa, 2024. "Sustainability of Aqua Feeds in Africa: A Narrative Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-20, November.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:7:p:2804-:d:1617585. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.