Food Poverty, Health, and Innovation: the Impact of new food frontiers on the social context

Food preferences have long been increasingly influenced by sensitivity to ethics and the sustainability of production processes, from the beginning of the supply chain to the table. All this must be considered the food poverty that affects a large segment of the population. In fact, the propensity for healthy products is growing, with methods of use and purchase based on sustainability and a shared concept of well-being. However, the main obstacle to the development of new food systems continues to be inequality in access to food. To respond to the needs arising from food poverty, which has predominantly social and not only economic or nutritional characteristics, research, with the aim of defining an indicator for evaluating the phenomenon, has identified three fundamental indicators dimensions of analysis with respect to nutrition: material and/or social food deprivation index (DAMS), risk of food poverty index, relative food poverty index. We proceeded with a comparative analysis within the Italian regions, through a Gaussian Mixture cluster analysis. The analysis highlighted problems such as malnutrition and incorrect nutrition, two opposing problems whose paradoxical correlation is typical of our era. The study, therefore, highlighted how it is necessary to put people’s needs at the center, with a synergic and non-substitutive welfare system with respect to the public and contractual one, focused on social Globalization, Social innovation, beyond the list of services and benefits provided. The objective is therefore to satisfy real individual needs, supporting people in identifying a customized service.