A food system gathers all the elements (environment, people, inputs, processes, infrastructures, institutions, etc.) and activities that relate to the production, processing, distribution, preparation and consumption of food, and the outputs of these activities, including socio-economic and environmental outcomes. There are three constituent elements of food systems: food supply chains; food environments; and consumer behaviour (HLPE, 2017).

Food loss is the decrease in the quantity or quality of food resulting from decisions and actions by food suppliers in the chain, excluding retail, food service providers and consumers. Food waste is the decrease in the quantity or quality of food resulting from decisions and actions by retailers, food services and consumers.

A bio-based economy is a subset of the bioeconomy that is concerned with the production of bio-based products and the generation of bioenergy (i.e. all bioproducts except food and feed).

Bio-based products refer to products that are wholly or partly derived from biomass and other biological resources, which are not used for food, feed and fuel. Many bio-based products are not new, such as, pulp and paper, timber for construction, bio-based cosmetics and fibers for clothing.

The term ‘bioproduct’ encompasses all products made from biological resources, and includes food, feed, biofuels and bio-based products.

Biomass is an important element of world’s biological resources. Biomass, which can be based on plant or animal life, encompasses, but is not limited to, agricultural crops and trees, including dedicated energy crops, food, feed and fibre crop residues; aquatic plants and animals, algae, fish bones and other fish residues; forestry and wood residues; agricultural waste, including animal manure; processing by-products and any other non-fossil organic material.

Biological resources are material of biological origin. They represent the feedstock for the bioeconomy. These resources do not include organic material that has been embedded in geological formations and fossilized (e.g. fossil fuels, such as coal, petroleum and natural gas) but include genetic resources (crops, forests, land and aquatic animals and micro-organisms), 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity.

Bio-based materials are the intermediate products that are used to make bio-based products. Traditional bio-based materials include wood to produce furniture and construction materials, and textiles, such as leather, cotton, linen and fish skin. Novel bio-based materials include a range of intermediate materials (e.g. building blocks and polymers) that are used to produce a wide range of bio-based products, including bio-based plastics, bio lubricants and solvents.

Bio-based plastic is a blend of one or more bio-based polymers and additives. Examples of bio-based plastics include polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and polylactic acid (PLA), which is used for several purposes, including food packaging, cups, mulch films and tea bags, and can be biodegradable. Bio-based plastics are also used for biomedical uses (e.g. implants) and 3D printing.

Circularity is a principle that can be applied at different steps of the value chain in order to retain the value of all resources (not only biological resources) in the economic cycle for as long as possible before these resources reach the end-of-life stage. Circularity, which is focused on 'designing out' waste by adding value to biological waste and by-product flows, increases resource use efficiency in the biomass value chain by using less inputs and producing less waste. Applying circularity is a key aspect for making the bioeconomy sustainable.

Sustainable end-of-life options refer to waste management procedures that follow non-conventional disposal routes, including biodegradation, aerobic or anaerobic composting, anaerobic digestion, and other waste management methods associated with the ‘4R approach’: the reduction, reuse, recycling and recovery of materials, nutrients, water and energy.

A sustainable food system is a food system that delivers food security and nutrition for all in such a way that the economic, social and environmental bases to generate food security and nutrition for future generations are not compromised. This means that:

• it is profitable throughout (economic sustainability);
• it has broad-based benefits for society (social sustainability); and
• it has a positive or neutral impact on the natural environment (environmental sustainability).