Agriculture is pivotal in securing global food security and sustainability, especially in pressing challenges such as climate change, population growth, and resource depletion. This review examines the interconnections between agriculture, food security, and sustainability, focusing on current challenges, innovations, and strategies to address these critical issues. The global demand for food is projected to increase substantially, necessitating agricultural systems that boost productivity and ensure environmental sustainability. However, conventional farming practices have exacerbated soil degradation, water scarcity, and greenhouse gas emissions, posing significant threats to long-term food security. This review aims to evaluate the role of sustainable agricultural practices in enhancing food security while mitigating environmental impacts. It also identifies existing gaps in farming systems and explores innovative solutions to promote resilient and sustainable food systems. A comprehensive review of peer-reviewed literature, policy documents, and global agricultural reports was conducted. The analysis focuses on key themes such as sustainable farming practices, the impacts of climate change on agriculture, advancements in agrotechnology, and the socio-economic dimensions of food security. Synthesized findings provide actionable insights into best practices and emerging trends. Sustainable agriculture offers a viable pathway to address the dual challenges of food security and environmental conservation. Precision farming, agroecology, and regenerative agriculture enhance productivity while preserving resources and reducing ecological footprints. Integrating advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence and genetic innovations, can optimize agricultural efficiency. However, global food security requires coordinated efforts among governments, the private sector, and local communities to implement equitable resource distribution and climate-resilient policies. Future research should prioritize scalable, region-specific solutions that align with sustainability principles to ensure a secure and resilient global food system.

Native to East Asia and predominantly cultivated in regions such as the Ningxia Hui and Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Regions of China, Lycium barbarum (L. barbarum), commonly known as goji berry, has a long history in traditional medicine and is gaining recognition in contemporary health research. This review provides a comprehensive exploration of its botanical characteristics, pharmacokinetics, and safety, alongside a critical evaluation of human clinical studies investigating its therapeutic potential. Key health benefits include immune modulation, antioxidative effects, mental health support, ocular health preservation, and metabolic and cardiovascular regulation. Furthermore, its role in addressing age-related macular degeneration and chronic conditions such as cancer and metabolic syndrome is highlighted. The bioactivity of L. barbarum is attributed to its rich composition of polysaccharides, carotenoids, flavonoids, and other bioactive compounds, which exhibit anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and metabolic-regulating properties. This review also examines the safety profile of L. barbarum, considering its side effects, toxicity, potential contamination, and interactions with medications, emphasising the importance of balancing its health-promoting properties with cautious consumption. Despite promising findings, gaps in the evidence base, including the need for larger, long-term, and rigorously controlled trials, remain significant barriers to clinical translation. By integrating traditional medicinal knowledge with modern scientific insights, this review underscores L. barbarum’s potential as a functional food and therapeutic agent. Its unique pharmacological properties and broad applicability position it as a valuable tool for health promotion and disease prevention, while highlighting areas requiring further research to optimise its safe and effective use.

In this perspective article, several internationally recognized experts, members of the editorial team of this journal, discuss a selection of current hot topics identified in Food Science and Foodomics. The topics are comprised of the main areas of Food Science and Foodomics, namely, food safety, food authenticity, food processing, and food bioactivity. Logically, several of the discussed topics involve more than one of the mentioned main areas. Regarding food safety, the topics discussed are the use of analytical nanotechnology, nanometrology, nano-chromatography; the determination of organic contaminants based on MS and NMR; the impact of microplastics and nanoplastics on food or the contamination of foods with plant toxins. Regarding food authenticity, the paper discusses the role of MS, NMR, biosensors and the new trends in foodomics for food authentication. In terms of food processing, the work shows interesting perspectives on novel processing technologies, the effect of food processing on the gut microbiota or in the interaction among secondary metabolites and macromolecules; the development of active packaging, and the potential effects of introducing recycled plastics in food packaging; the new green extraction and encapsulation strategies of bioactive compounds from food by-products; and the anti-biofilm capacity of natural compounds/extracts/vegetal oils and essential oils. Food bioactivity and the relation between food and health includes the bioavailability and bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds; new trends and challenges in the interaction of nutraceuticals with biological systems; how food matrix impacts the bioaccessibility of nutrients and bioactive compounds; or the study of biodiversity, food and human health through one-health concept. We anticipate elaborations on these hot topics will promote further studies in Food Science and Foodomics.