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What is a food system?
A system is a group of interacting, interrelated, and oftentimes interdependent elements that function together as a complex, unified whole.
The term "food system" is used frequently in discussions about nutrition, food, health, community economic development and agriculture. The food system includes all processes involved in keeping us fed: growing, harvesting, processing, packaging, transporting, marketing, consuming and disposing of food. It also includes the inputs needed and outputs generated at each step. The food system operates within and is influenced by social, economic and natural environments. Each step is also dependent on human resources that provide labor, research and education.
A community food system is promoted as an ideal -- a food system in which food production, processing, distribution and consumption are integrated to enhance the environmental, economic, social and nutritional health of a particular geographic location.
Because they said it so well, the previous information is quoted directly from Cornell Cooperative Extension - Agriculture, Food and Communities
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