Healthy Food Consumption: Challenges and the Path Forward

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) present a significant economic burden, leading to both direct and indirect healthcare costs like increased mortality and lost productivity. The escalation of NCDs stems from a multitude of factors, including lifestyle choices, environment, commercial, socio-economic influences, and genetics. This chapter assesses the public health challenges posed by NCDs from an operational and supply chain viewpoint, specifically focusing on the food industry’s accountability and its efforts to address those challenges by reformulating food product recipes to enhance nutritional quality. We investigate the intricacies of food reformulation, addressing the hurdles inherent in healthy recipe development, manufacturing adaptations, supply chain shifts, and consumer acceptance. Bridging those insights with the broader academic literature reveals a notable gap in our understanding of sustainable and nutritious food production for the growing global population. We present several critical research questions centered on optimizing food production processes, balancing nutritional quality and environmental sustainability, navigating supply chain complexities, and assessing consumer reception to reformulated food products. We aim to inspire further scholarly research in this vital area, contributing to advancing knowledge in public health and global food security.