AI‑powered Food Systems: Innovations in the Nexus of Food Chain & Sustainability

Call for Papers – AI‑powered Food Systems: Innovations in the Nexus of Food Chain & Sustainability

Journal: Global Smart Food Systems
Publisher: Emerald Publishing

Submission window: 1 December 2025 – 30 April 2026

This special issue explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming global food systems, from agriculture and food processing through supply chains and food safety to nutrition and public health, with a strong emphasis on sustainability, equity, and ethical governance. It invites interdisciplinary research that links AI‑driven innovations with pressing global challenges such as climate change, food insecurity, and nutrition inequities.

Why this issue matters

• Food systems are central to the world’s most urgent challenges: climate change, resource scarcity, food insecurity, and social inequality.

• AI is accelerating advances in crop management, logistics, food safety traceability, and personalised nutrition, yet the literature remains fragmented and lacks integrated frameworks for responsible AI integration.

• This SI will be among the first to systematically connect AI, food‑system performance, and public‑health outcomes, while elevating voices from low‑ and middle‑income countries (LMICs) and marginalised communities.

Key themes and topic areas

Contributions may be theoretical, empirical, or policy‑oriented and should situate AI within the nexus of food systems, sustainability, and public health.

• AI‑powered decision‑making in agriculture and food supply chains

  • Precision‑agriculture tools, AI‑based forecasting of crop yields, demand, and harvest timing.

  • AI‑driven logistics, inventory management, and last‑mile delivery for perishable goods.

• Predictive analytics for food security and nutrition equity

  • AI models that predict vulnerability to food insecurity, malnutrition, or price shocks.

  • How AI can support equitable access to healthy food, especially in underserved and LMIC contexts.

• AI applications in food safety, traceability, and surveillance

  • Real‑time monitoring of contamination risks, spoilage prediction, and recall‑management systems.

  • Blockchain‑enhanced traceability and AI‑powered inspection of imports/exports and standards compliance.

• Ethical and governance considerations for responsible AI adoption

  • Algorithmic bias, data‑privacy, and transparency in AI‑driven food‑system applications.

  • Legal and regulatory frameworks for AI use in food safety, trade, and public‑health surveillance.

• Workforce development and training for AI‑enabled systems

  • Strategies to upskill farmers, food‑processing workers, logistics operators, and public‑health professionals in AI‑supported tools.

  • Education and digital‑literacy initiatives for smallholders and rural communities.

• AI and sustainability: circular economies and climate resilience

  • AI‑optimised resource‑use (water, energy, fertilisers), waste‑reduction, and circular‑food‑system design.

  • AI‑supported climate‑risk modelling and adaptation planning for agricultural regions.

• Digital literacy, communication, and community engagement

  • How AI‑driven information platforms (e.g., apps, dashboards, chatbots) affect consumer trust, farmer decision‑making, and policy communication.

  • Participatory design of AI tools involving local communities, Indigenous knowledge systems, and small‑scale producers.

• Case studies from diverse geographic and socio‑economic contexts

  • Cross‑country or comparative case studies showing how AI‑food‑system innovations perform under different institutional, infrastructural, and cultural conditions.

Guest editors

• Dr. Ashley S. Love, Southern New Hampshire University, USA

• Urmala Roopnarinesingh, Southern New Hampshire University, USA

• Leanne Skehan, Southern New Hampshire University, USA

Submission details

• Submission portal: ScholarOne Manuscripts for Global Smart Food Systems:
  https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/gsfs

• Authors must select the Special Issue title during submission under the “Please select the issue you are submitting to” field.

• Key deadlines:

  • Submission opening: 1 December 2025

  • Submission closing: 30 April 2026

• Manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not under review elsewhere.

• Submissions should follow the journal’s Author Guidelines:
  https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/journal/gsfs

The SI will combine invited contributions with open peer review to ensure methodological pluralism, disciplinary diversity, and policy‑relevance.

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