Mapping central elements of social sustainability in food production and consumption

Social sustainability is essential for the sustainable transformation of food value chains (FVC). It encompasses a wide range of topics, such as food poverty, participation and fair working conditions, which are often interpreted in context-specific ways. The aim of this qualitative review was to systematically capture and analyse topics discussed in scientific and grey literature on social sustainability in relation to food production and consumption. The study design combined three steps: (1) a PRISMA-based systematic literature review of peer-reviewed and grey literature in English and German ( N = 66); (2) a qualitative content analysis, including thematic clustering and visualisation of results in mind maps; and (3) a performance analysis assessing geographical focus, disciplinary background, and publication time trends. The results reveal that perspectives on social sustainability vary across FVC stages, actors, disciplines, and geographic contexts. In food production literature, key topics included working conditions of farmers and employees; farmers’ quality of life; agricultural sector development; and social impacts on rural areas. In food consumption, the dominant topics were nutrition-related basic needs; consumers’ knowledge and skills; consumers’ identity and habits; as well as participation. The mind maps summarise how social sustainability is discussed in food production and consumption literature, organising dispersed topics across FVC stages and linking them to broader societal dimensions such as equity and food culture. This thematic mapping can facilitate and inform discussions on social sustainability by identifying topics, thematic clusters and research gaps. Thus, it can support further development of consistent frameworks and indicators for analysing social sustainability.