Environmental and social consequences of the increase in the demand for ‘superfoods’ world‐wide

Abstract

The search for healthy diets has led to a surge in the demand for functional foods or ‘superfoods’, which have now become popular among the middle‐ and high‐income fractions of the society in developed regions of the world. ‘Superfoods’ are predominantly consumed far from their centres of origin and out of their cultural context with different environmental and social effects. Here, we present a series of case studies to provide an overview of the different environmental impacts driven by superfood expansion. We show that if these crops are to follow the path of other global commodities, then strong environmental impacts and large carbon footprints are expected in terms of land clearing, use of agrochemicals and transportation during times of high prices (boom) and social problems as farmers have to abandon their livelihoods when prices sink below the cost of production (bust). We also showcase how a combination of management practices, consumer choices and policy changes could help in alleviating the ecological footprint of these crops. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

Perennial Staple Crops: Yields, Distribution, and Nutrition in the Global Food System

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Who Are the Superfoodies? New Healthy Luxury Food Products and Social Media Marketing Potential in Germany

“…A new food product category centered on traditional food products that are “rich in compounds (such as fiber, antioxidants, or fatty acids) considered beneficial to a person’s health” [ 1 ] has recently emerged. These foods are generally described as “superfoods”, and they have become particularly popular in developed countries [ 2 , 3 ]. To many consumers, superfoods represent a luxury food product, and research has linked traditional luxury food products to above average product prices that function as a search attribute in comparison to other fruits and vegetables [ 4 ].…”

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“…Today, avocados are not only a nutritious staple but also an important export crop for many countries (USD 6.84 billion globally for 2018) (FAO, 2020 ). However, in some avocado growing regions, expansion is having adverse environmental impacts such as, biodiversity loss and water resource depletion (Magrach & Sanz, 2020 ) and thus improving sustainable production is crucial.…”