Our health and well-being are affected by our food systems. The new nutrition reality has been linked to complex food systems, interrelated with several pathways and determinants, including physical, socioeconomic, environmental, and ecological, and lately, has been strongly associated with population health, the increase in chronic diseases, and climate change. We briefly comment on four pillars, namely food environments, food security, food supply, and safety and nutritional epidemiology, all of which are key determinants of food systems. We overview some highlights, challenges, and methodologies with a view to advancing food and nutrition science as an integrated field of research. By modifying food systems, we are able to improve the aging and well-being of populations and the health of the planet. Trusted science, nutritional education, new scientific-public communication, integrated policy, investment, food availability, and cultural strategies are all essential for creating better food systems. Perceptual blindness in nutrition must be transformed.
© 2023 The Authors. Obesity published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Obesity Society.