The food loss and waste (FLW)–food security nexus is a relevant issue in the societal debate, in that it contributes to understanding the challenges posed by a continuous and unsustainable development of agri-food systems and supply chains. An overview on the state-of-the-art academic research on the implications of FLW on food security is provided. The aim is to identify publication patterns and inform on key topics emerging from the literature on the FLW–food security nexus. Based on a systematic and a bibliometric approach, the analysis concludes that “Water-Energy-Food Security nexus” and “Reduction of FLW” are the dominant thematic areas within the literature on the nexus between FLW and food security. Future research should explore the FLW–food security nexus through evidence-based and scenario analyses, informing stakeholders about nexus interactions and highlighting synergies between different resource uses in a circular and green economy perspective.

The agenda of trade negotiation in the agri‐food sector is characterized by an exponential increase of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures and of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs). Their joint effect on trade is puzzling and still an open empirical question. Once assessed the trade effect of standards provided in SPS measures, the study evaluates how regulatory cooperation and commitments beyond World Trade Organization requirements affect trade between signatories of RTAs. Trade between signatories seems obstructed by non‐discriminatory (multilateral) SPS measures. However, SPS‐specific commitments negotiated in joint SPS committees within RTAs tend to create conditions to meet standards, contributing to boost trade.

The agri‐food trade has expanded considerably over decades, with a remarkable increase in the market share of developing countries. The upward trend in trade flows has been parallel to the proliferation of non‐tariff measures, particularly of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures in the agri‐food sector. SPS measures may have a dual impact on trade, that is. standards as catalysts versus standards as barriers, and the net effect is likely to depend on the level of economic development of countries involved. We investigate whether the trade effects of SPS measures are correlated with the economic development of trading partners. In particular, we disentangle the trade effects of SPS measures implemented by developed and developing countries and look at differential impacts due to a mismatch in the economic development of trading partners. Using a structural gravity approach on bilateral trade and regulation data, we conclude that SPS measures are catalysts for developing importers, whereas no evidence is found for developed importers. We also find a pro‐trade effect of SPS measures when traders have different levels of economic development. Our findings have important policy implications: sharing SPS measures is strategic for economies characterised by different abilities to alter trade terms.

Organic food, consumers and their buying behaviour are well examined fields of research, although there is a lack of consistent findings on consumers' perception about organic food's quality, in terms of healthiness, safety, and environmental sustainability, and on determinants of perceived quality. This study investigates how consumers perceive the quality of organic food, in terms of environmental sustainability, safety, and healthiness. The study also analyses how and to what extent perceived quality of organic food is influenced by the presence of information related to quality on food products' labels and consumers' socio-demographic profile. A survey has been conducted on a convenience sample of Italian consumers, recruited through a snowball sampling technique. An approach based on a Combination of Uniform and shifted Binomial random variables, named CUB model, is adopted to analyse consumers' perceptions in terms of two latent components, feeling and uncertainty. The CUB model approach is suitable for analyses that involve consumers perception. The results suggest that consumers perceive safety of organic food better than healthiness and environmentally sustainable attributes. Findings also highlight that the presence of specific information on food's label contributes to perceive organic food as healthier, safe, and environmentally sustainable: the more the details on food labels, the higher the consumers' perception. Furthermore, consumers' socio-demographic profile plays a significant role: males and females have a different perception of organic food and younger consumers tend to be more prone to buy and consume organic product.