Food system is a powerful concept for understanding and responding to nutrition and sustainability challenges. Food systems integrate social, economic, environmental and health aspects of food production through to consumption. Aquatic foods are an essential part of food systems providing an accessible source of nutrition for millions of people. Yet, it is unclear to what degree research across diverse disciplines concerning aquatic foods has engaged food systems, and the value this concept has added. We conducted a systematic review of fisheries, aquaculture and aquatic food literature (2017-2019) to determine the following: the characteristics of this research; the food systems components and interrelations with which research engaged; and the insights generated on nutrition, justice, sustainability and climate change. Sixty five of the 88 reviewed articles focussed on production and supply chains, with 23 considering human nutrition. Only 13% of studies examined low-and middle-income countries that are most vulnerable to undernutrition. One third of articles looked beyond finfish to other aquatic foods, which illuminated values of local knowledge systems and diverse foods for nutrition. When aggregated, reviewed articles examined the full range of food system drivers-biophysical and environmental (34%), demographic (24%) and socio-cultural (27%)-but rarely examined interactions between drivers. Future research that examines a diversity of species in diets, system-wide flows of nutrients, trade-offs amongst objectives, and the nutritional needs of vulnerable social groups would be nudging closer to the ambitions of the food systems concept, which is necessary to address the global challenges of equity, nutrition and sustainability. | 35 SIMMANCE Et Al. 42 4.2.1 Relationships between food systems components researched 44 4.3. Emerging challenges for food systems 45 4.4. Nudging towards the concept of food systems 46 4.4.1 Consider a broader set of aquatic food types amidst diverse diets 47 4.4.2 Examine system-wide flows of nutrients and tradeoffs amongst objectives 47 4.4.3 Focus on vulnerable and marginalized social groups 47 5. CONCLUSION 48

Fish make an important contribution to micronutrient intake, long-chained polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFAS), and animal protein, as well as ensuring food and nutrition security and livelihoods for fishing communities. Micronutrient deficiencies are persistent in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), contributing to public health issues not only in the first 1000 days but throughout adolescence and into adulthood. School feeding programs (SFPs) and home-grown school feeding programs (HGSF), which source foods from local producers, particularly fisherfolk, offer an entry point for encouraging healthy diets and delivering essential macro- and micronutrients to schoolchildren, which are important for the continued cognitive development of children and adolescents and can contribute to the realization of sustainable development goals (SDGs) 1, 2, 3, 5, and 14. The importance of HGSF for poverty alleviation (SDG1) and zero hunger (SDG 2) have been recognized by the United Nations Hunger Task Force and the African Union Development Agency–New Partnership for African Development (AUDA-NEPAD), which formulated a strategy for HGSF to improve nutrition for the growing youth population across Africa. A scoping review was conducted to understand the lessons learned from SFPs, which included fish and fish products from small-scale producers, identifying the challenges and best practices for the inclusion of fish, opportunities for improvements across the supply chain, and gaps in nutritional requirements for schoolchildren which could be improved through the inclusion of fish. Challenges to the inclusion fish in SFPs include food safety, supply and access to raw materials, organizational capacity, and cost, while good practices include the engagement of various stakeholders in creating and testing fish products, and repurposing fisheries by-products or using underutilized species to ensure cost-effective solutions. This study builds evidence of the inclusion of nutritious fish and fish products in SFPs, highlighting the need to replicate and scale good practices to ensure sustainable, community-centred, and demand-driven solutions for alleviating poverty, malnutrition, and contributing to greater health and wellbeing in adolescence.

Fish is a rich source of several important nutrients and an important part of the otherwise plant-dominated diet present in Angola. However, fish may also be a source of contaminants. The aim of this study was to analyse the nutrient contents and the levels of chemical contaminants, including arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead, in five commonly consumed marine fish species sampled during a survey with the research vessel Dr. Fridtjof Nansen in Angola. The species’ contribution to recommended nutrient intakes (RNI) for women and children was assessed and compared to that of food products of terrestrial animal origin. All the sampled species are good sources of protein and micronutrients if included in the diet, and inter-species variation is evident. The species were identified to contribute 5–15% of the RNI for calcium, iron, iodine, and zinc and exceeded the contribution to protein and iron intakes of food products of terrestrial animal origin. Furthermore, the potential consumer exposure to chemical contaminants in the species was assessed. None of the species exceeded the maximum levels for cadmium, mercury, and lead, and the potential consumer exposure to cadmium and methylmercury was considered low. The data presented in this study represent an important contribution to African food composition tables.

The EAT-Lancet Commission's planetary health guidelines suggest a reduction in the consumption of animal-source foods for better health and more sustainable food systems. Animal-source foods are highly nutrient-dense, therefore suited to address the widespread issue of micronutrient deficiencies, particularly in low-resource settings where diets are predominantly plant-based. Animal-source foods are also believed to contain the meat factor, a substance enhancing the absorption of micronutrients from plant-based foods. We conducted a scoping review with the objective of systematically mapping the available evidence on the meat factor. The MEDLINE/Pubmed and Web of Science Databases were searched for literature published up to September 2021. Articles eligible for inclusion were all studies assessing the effect of adding animal-source foods and/or animal-source foods fractions on the micronutrient absorption from a plant-based meal or the overall diet in animal models and human subjects. Screening and data extraction were performed, and results were charted into 12 categories. We identified 77 articles eligible for inclusion, 52 of which were conducted in human subjects, 24 in animal models and one in both. The addition of muscle tissue and muscle tissue fractions to single plant-based meals steadily increased absorption of iron and zinc across studies. The efficacy of the meat factor in increasing iron and zinc absorption in the overall diet is less clear. No clear differences emerged between red meat, poultry and fish in promoting the meat factor effect. No clear evidence indicates that milk and egg products contain the meat factor. Our review highlights the importance of muscle tissue for the potential of the meat factor to enhance absorption of micronutrients of concern. While the literature supports including sustainable and economically accessible forms of these animal-source foods into the diet, we found limited studies in resource poor countries and of diets with low meat intake.

Poverty and food insecurity persist in sub-Saharan Africa. We conducted a secondary analysis of nationally representative data from three sub-Saharan Africa countries (Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda) to investigate how both proximity to and engagement with small-scale fisheries are associated with household poverty and food insecurity. Results from the analysis suggest that households engaged in small-scale fisheries were 9 percentage points less likely to be poor than households engaged only in agriculture. Households living in proximity to small-scale fisheries (average distance 2.7 km) were 12.6 percentage points more likely to achieve adequate food security and were 15 percentage points less likely to be income poor, compared to the most distant households. Households distant from fishing grounds (>5 km) were 1.5 times more likely to consume dried fish compared to households living close. Conserving the flow of benefits from small-scale fisheries is important for meeting the Sustainable Development Goals in the region.