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This study estimates the land footprint, nutrients and monetary value of persimmon loss in Brazil, and also consolidated the methodological approach for assessing resources related to food loss.

It uses data on the harvested area, production, production loss and production value of persimmon in Brazil from 2014 to 2019. The persimmon loss in Brazil was converted into macro- and micronutrients, land use and monetary value.

The average annual production loss, loss production value and land footprint of persimmon are 35,100 tons, US$12m  and 1,673 hectares, respectively. Persimmon loss represents the average loss per year of 6.6bn grams of carbohydrates, 1.6bn grams of food fibers, 7.2bn milligrams of vitamin C, 41.8bn micrograms of vitamin A, 4.5bn milligrams of calcium and 54.8bn milligrams of potassium. These nutrients have the potential to meet the nutritional daily needs of approximately 135,000, 176,000 people, 270,000, 164,000, 12,000 and 32m, respectively.

Through (1) research and innovation; (2) infrastructure development; (3) training and education; (4) collaboration and networking; and (5) market diversification and value addition, people can increase persimmon shelf life, reduce postharvest losses and create a resilient environment for small persimmon farmers. This approach promotes sustainability in the agri-food system and empowers stakeholders.

This investigation helps to understand the value of food loss, considering the use of natural resources, as well as the loss of nutrients and monetary value.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the associations between obesogenic severity, the public health situation, environmental impacts, and health care expenditures in populations worldwide.

This ecological study is based on official data available for approximately 140 countries worldwide. This study defines four main variables: obesogenic severity, environmental impact, public health implications (PHI), and health expenditures, all measured through specific indicators. Data were obtained mainly from the WHO, World Bank, and IDF. The indicators were reduced to the main variables through factorial reduction and multiple regression analyses were used to test the main hypotheses.

Obesogenic severity strongly and positively affects environmental impacts (β=0.6578; p<0.001), PHI-1 (cardiovascular risk factor) (β=0.3137; p<0.001) and PHI-2 (blood glucose and diabetes diagnoses) (β=0.3170; p<0.001). Additionally, environmental impacts strongly and positively affect PHI-1 (β=0.4978; p<0.001) but not PHI-2. Thus, results suggest that environmental impact, PHI-1, and PHI-2 strongly affect health expenditures (β=0.3154; p<0.001, β=0.5745; p<0.001, and β=−0.4843; p<0.001, respectively), with PHI-2 negatively affecting the health expenditures.

This study presents evidence that can aid in decision making regarding public and private efforts to better align budgets and resources as well as predict the needs and expenditures of public health care systems.

This investigation finds that the main variables addressed are strongly associated at the worldwide level. Thus, these analytical procedures can be used to predict public health and health care cost scenarios at the global level.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the association between the levels of food utilization (FU), food availability, economic access (EA) and physical access (PA) to food in developing countries – the main dimensions underlying the concept of food security.

This study analyzed available data from 57 developing countries. The variables investigated were: food availability (FA), EA to food measured through economic development, PA to food using the Logistics Performance Index as a proxy, and FU. The paper uses factorial, correlation and cluster analyses.

The results show that the dimensions of food security are strongly and positively correlated. PA has a moderate association with FU (ρS=0.5338 [p<0.001]; ρP=0.4252; [p<0.01]). EA has a strong association with FU (ρS=0.6998 [p<0.001]; ρP=0.6404; [p<0.01]). Moreover, cluster analysis suggests that some countries present significant urgencies regarding some of the food security dimensions considered.

Cluster analysis has some limitations regarding the interpretations of the key findings. Moreover, many factors affect food security promotion; this paper addresses just a few of them.

Through a better alignment of food security dimensions worldwide, policy makers, as well as private sector actors, might achieve better conditions to reduce food waste or loss, supply a wider diversity of foods, reduce adverse environmental impacts, reduce logistics costs and, finally, reduce food prices.

This study outlines specific fragilities regarding the main dimensions of food security in developing economies. Thus, this study highlights that some countries need to focus urgently on certain, specific dimensions in order to promote the food security for their populaces.

This paper aims to present an ecological study that analyzed the impact of societal and behavioral factors on the obesogenic situation worldwide. The societal variables included urbanization, motorization and educational and economic developments, while the behavioral variables consisted of nutritional intake and insufficient physical activity (IPA).

This investigation was based on official data concerning 99 countries, in the first part of the reference model, and 92 countries, in the second part. The constructs were measured through urban population (per cent), energy/protein/fat supply, expected years of schooling, gross domestic product and gross national income per capita, vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants, average body mass index and IPA level of the populations. Data, obtained through the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, World Health Organization, World Bank and United Nations, were analyzed mainly through descriptive, factor and multiple regression analyses.

The results suggested that nutritional supply/intake, IPA and educational-level impact significantly and positively on the obesogenic situation (p < 0.01, p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). In addition, urbanization significantly affects the IPA (p < 0.01). Evidence also suggested that economic development impacts negatively on obesogenic severity (p < 0.01).

Developing economies might face severe obesogenic problems in the future, given their limited access to healthy food and their growing urbanization; thus, nutritional intake should not be seen as the main antecedent of the obesogenic environment. This paper provides comprehensive information to policymakers and researchers interested in the severity of the global obesogenic environment.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the situation and trends regarding prevalence of underweight, overweight, and undernourished populations worldwide. Thus, we defend that the conditions of hunger, underweight, overweight, and obesity are seen as anomalies resulting from nutritional and dietary food insecurity related to the concept of malnutrition.

This investigation was conducted through an ecological study, using indicators related to undernourishment, underweight, and overweight. Data, obtained through the WHO and United Nations, were analyzed through scatter plots and angular coefficient from linear regression.

Evidence suggests that some nations have high levels of undernourished and overweight populations at the same time. Results showed a significant reduction in the prevalence of underweight children and a significant increase in the prevalence of overweight children worldwide. Western Pacific has shown declining trends in both overweight and underweight children. Southern Africa has shown a strong increase in its child overweight population and no downward trend in its underweight child population.

The authors defend that programs and actions better aligned to diagnoses of some countries that face problems related to both underweight and overweight/obesity conditions are needed. This investigation can help public and private efforts to combat underweight and overweight diagnoses worldwide.

The authors present evidence of the co-occurrence of underweight and overweight in child populations worldwide. Thus, the authors show alarming trends regarding to these diagnoses.

Considering Brazil as a food producer with global prominence and the urgency for food security in some developing countries, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the exports of Brazilian dry-beans against food security of its buyers.

The investigation was conducted through analysis of data from official databases as FAO and WHO. This study elaborated dispersion maps crossing characteristics of the international buyers of Brazilian dry-beans considering their food security situations.

Brazil has a high domestic consumption of dry-beans, and exports are seen as a secondary activity. However, its production is superior to their domestic needs. Exports of Brazilian dry-beans are generally volatile and unstable. Evidence suggests that countries with serious problems of child and population’s malnutrition (e.g. India and Angola) buy more Brazilian dry-beans. However, their domestic consumptions are still low.

This research based only on exports of dry-bean is faced as a significant limitation. Future studies adding other staple foods commonly consumed by economically disadvantaged populations may contribute to the investigation of the role of Brazil against the need for food security in developing countries and emerging economies.

Social implications are focussed in the pursuit of malnutrition decrease in the populations of developing countries through the consumption of nutritionally rich and economically viable food, such as dry-beans.

The original value is based on the analysis of Brazilian dry-beans production and trades and its potential to contribute to nutritional safety and food security in developing countries.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the severity of obesogenic societies is associated with more significant environmental impacts, and whether these impacts are associated with the production, supply, and consumption of animal foods more so than with plant foods.

This ecological study was based on analyses of available data regarding populations of countries throughout the world. The study analyzed indicators related to food production, food supply, the anthropometric traits of malnutrition, and ecological impacts. Data were analyzed via scatter plots and Pearson’s correlation.

Food supply, when compared with food production, is more significantly associated with environmental impacts. Also, the supply of meats, when compared with the supply of cereals, has a stronger association with environmental impacts and obesogenic severity. Meat supply is strongly associated with the ecological footprint (r=0.782, p < 0.001), with CO₂ emissions (r=0.602, p < 0.001), and with the water footprint (r=0.503, p < 0.001). Thus, the average body mass index (BMI) of populations worldwide is strongly associated with environmental impacts considering the ecological footprint (r=0.559, p < 0.001), and the CO₂ emissions (r=0.460, p < 0.001).

Actions that are better aligned with worldwide urgencies related to obesogenic problems, food supply/consumption, and environmental issues are needed. This study provides a better understanding about environmental and obesogenic impacts associated with food supply.

The originality is focussed on important evidence regarding environmental and obesogenic severity strongly associated with meat supply.