Table 3.
Conceptual description of the key elements of the food environment (availability, affordability, convenience, promotion and quality, and sustainability) based on the type of food environment.
| Food Environment Element | Food Environment Type | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild | Cultivated | Informal Built | Formal Built | |
| Availability/Diversity | ||||
| Wild plants and animals represent local biodiversity | x | |||
| Diversity of plants and animals is dependent on region (e.g., agro-climatic zone; socio-ecological conditions) | x | x | ||
| Seasonally available F&V | x | x | x | |
| Limited diversity in smaller food outlets | x | |||
| Branded and unbranded processed food, and sometime ultra-processed foods | x | |||
| Variation across seasons | x | |||
| May have a vast diversity of food available in all seasons from different locations | x | |||
| Availability of foods may differ based on neighborhood SES | x | |||
| Availability of minimally processed and ultra-processed foods | x | |||
| Affordability | ||||
| No monetary exchanges | x | x | ||
| Trading of goods | x | x | ||
| Staples relatively inexpensive | x | x | ||
| Nutrient-rich foods (e.g., F&V and ASF) relatively expensive and/or price is highly seasonally variable | x | |||
| Processed foods packaged in small packages to increase affordability | x | |||
| Many ultra-processed snack foods, ready meals, and fast foods made with cheap ingredients are inexpensive | x | |||
| Fruits and vegetables, seafood expensive | x | |||
| Pay high premiums for specialty/niche foods and locally produced or organic foods | x | |||
| Convenience | ||||
| Can be labor and time intensive to hunt or gather | x | |||
| In some situations can be highly convenient (e.g., when wild fruits are in season) | x | |||
| Labor and time intensive during growing season | x | |||
| Processing of staples and food preparation time sensitive | x | |||
| Independent (non-chain) fast food and street vendors offer convenience foods such as ready-to-eat snacks and meals | x | |||
| Distance to markets can be long and road access limited in rural areas | x | |||
| Numerous chained fast food outlets, casual dining, and other restaurants | x | |||
| Improved infrastructure with cars and public transport increase market access | x | |||
| Processing of ingredients along with ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat foods reduces cooking time | x | |||
| Increased use of online delivery | x | |||
| Promotion & Quality | ||||
| Marketing of food non-existent | x | x | ||
| Promotion of food limited to farmer-targeted programs or extension services | x | |||
| Food is fresh by definition when wild harvested | x | x | ||
| Crop quality is variable | x | |||
| Branding and advertisements in print in newspapers and posters | x | |||
| Signs in stores, markets, and buildings | x | |||
| Verbal promotion on radios | x | |||
| Variable freshness/quality and high food losses are common due to lack of cold chains and unstable storage conditions | x | |||
| High level of food promotion through television, print, web, billboards, and sports sponsorships | x | |||
| High amount of labeling, nutrition facts panels, health claims, ingredients in stores, and on menus | x | |||
| Food safety standards generally ensure safe food | x | |||
| Quality of perishable food is typically high due to intact cold chains, but can be variable (e.g., convenience stores vs. supermarkets) | x | |||
| Sustainability Properties | ||||
| Support of ecosystem services (soil, land, and water protection) | x | |||
| Low carbon footprint | x | |||
| Sustainability dependent on abundance of supply in ways that do not deplete integrity of resource base (e.g., through overharvesting) | x | |||
| Food consumed are local and seasonal | x | x | x | |
| Carbon and water footprint dependent on production practices | x | |||
| Soil health dependent on production practices | x | |||
| Food loss high in LMIC contexts | x | |||
| Land tenure issues | x | |||
| Relatively low levels of packaging | x | |||
| Food system livelihood and equity issues | x | |||
| Food safety, quality, and regulatory issues | x | |||
| High levels of food loss due to inadequate storage conditions | x | |||
| High amounts of packaging | x | |||
| High levels of food waste | x | |||
| Food system livelihood and equity issues | x | |||
| Food miles can be high | x | |||
| High carbon and water footprint of some foods (e.g., beef) | x | |||
| Biodiversity may be restricted and pesticide use high due to focus on marketability | x | |||
| Foods sourced from different locations | x | |||
| High-energy food storage of cold chain items | x | |||
| Less transparency regarding food production practices | x | |||
ASF: Animal source food; F&V: Fruits and vegetables; LMIC: Low- and middle-income countries; SES: Socio-economic status.