A sustainable food system is one that provides a reliable and resilient source of nutritious and culturally acceptable food for all, while ensuring the long-term ecological, economic, and social viability of the system. It encompasses the entire process of food production, distribution, and consumption and takes into account environmental, economic, and social considerations. A sustainable food system for food security and nutrition includes the following elements:

· Food Availability: It ensures a consistent and sufficient supply of food to meet the dietary needs of the population. This involves increasing agricultural productivity, diversifying food sources, and reducing food losses and waste.

· Food Accessibility: It makes sure that all people have physical and economic access to the food they need. This involves addressing issues like income disparities, market access, and food affordability.

· Food Utilization: It focuses on ensuring that food is nutritionally adequate, safe, and culturally acceptable. It involves addressing issues related to dietary diversity, food safety, and appropriate food processing and preparation.

· Stability and Resilience: A sustainable food system is resilient to shocks and climate variability. It promotes the use of environmentally sustainable practices that protect natural resources and ecosystems, such as sustainable farming methods and responsible resource management.

· Equity and Social Inclusion: It promotes fairness and social inclusion in food systems. This includes addressing issues like gender equity, land rights, and the well-being of marginalized groups.

· Economic Viability: A sustainable food system should support the livelihoods of those involved in food production and distribution. This includes promoting fair trade practices and economic opportunities in the food sector.

Food security refers to the condition in which all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs for a healthy and active life. Food security is a critical element of achieving better nutrition and eliminating hunger and malnutrition in India and globally. Here's how food security contributes to these goals in India:

· Hunger Reduction: Food security ensures a consistent and adequate food supply, reducing the prevalence of hunger in India. By improving food availability and access, food security can help address food shortages and undernutrition.

· Nutrition Improvement: A food-secure population is more likely to have access to a diverse and nutritious diet, leading to improved nutritional outcomes. A sustainable food system can promote the availability of diverse and nutrient-rich foods.

· Reducing Malnutrition: Food security, when combined with access to nutritious foods, helps in reducing malnutrition, including undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and stunting among children.

· Enhancing Resilience: A food-secure population is better equipped to withstand shocks and crises, such as droughts or economic downturns, which can impact food availability and access.

· Economic and Social Development: Improved food security can contribute to economic development, as well as social development through poverty reduction, better livelihoods, and improved well-being.

To achieve these outcomes, it is essential to focus on not only food production but also on equitable distribution, access, and the nutritional quality of food. Sustainable and diversified food systems are crucial for addressing the challenges of hunger and malnutrition in India and ensuring the well-being of its population.

Dear Dr Himanshu Tiwari thank you for your contribution to the discussion

A food system is the combination of all the factors that are important for food security. Taking a food system approach allows for a better alignment to various problems in the organization, availability and distribution of the current food system along with its effects on people and the environment. Food security, as it is conventionally understood, is a person-focused concern, whereas environmental and ecological sustainability factors operate both locally and also at supra national/regional/global levels.Sustainable agriculture and food systems such as organic agriculture and agro-ecology improve food security, eradicate hunger and are economically viable, while conserving land, water, plant and animal genetic resources, biodiversity and ecosystems and enhancing resilience to climate change and natural disasters. A sustainable food system is a food system that delivers food security and nutrition for all. The system encompasses everything from the processing, packaging and the transporting of food to consumers. A sustainable food system is a food system that delivers food and nutrition security for all in such a way that the economic, social and environmental bases to generate food security and nutrition for future generations are not compromised. Food security means access of the people to a reliable supply of food from socially acceptable sources sufficient for an active and healthy life. The very notion of sustainability in food production system is intrinsically linked to the idea of adequate food accessible for both present and future generations. Improved access to food grains has improved the hunger outcomes amongst the poor and underprivileged. Wide coverage of the 2/3rd population has increased resilience in the poor against income shocks. A person is food insecure when they lack regular access to enough safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development and an active and healthy life. This may be due to unavailability of food and/or lack of resources to obtain food. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. Goal 2 seeks sustainable solutions to end hunger in all its forms by 2030 and to achieve food security. The aim is to ensure that everyone everywhere has enough good-quality food to lead a healthy life. The government has also taken significant steps to combat under- and malnutrition over the past two decades, such as through the introduction of mid-day meals at schools, anganwadi systems to provide rations to pregnant and lactating mothers, and subsidized grain for those living below the poverty line through a public distribution system. Food Security of beneficiaries is ensured by distributing food grains at subsidized prices through the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS). It protects them from price volatility due to inflation.