Sustainability in food networks — The challenge of concurrent multi-dimensionality

Sustainability in food networks has become a dominant issue in the development of the food sector in light of the challenging scenarios one might expect in the future. Products, enterprises, chains, consumers, and regions are all affected by this discussion. Environmental, social and economic pressures require the development of strategies on how to best meet the challenges and to move the sector with its global presence and its many SMEs towards a status which is sustainable and robust enough to remain so even if future scenarios might deviate from today´s expectations (dynamic sustainability). The paper outlines a framework for research on sustainability developments, sustainability assessments, consumer communication, and the transition of enterprises and chains towards improvements in sustainability.