Engineering solutions for food security in urban environments

NTU Food Research Systems (NTU‑FRS) congratulates Prof William Chen on the publication of a new research article in Food Engineering Reviews, titled “Engineering Food Security Under Constraint: Integrating Sustainable Production, Resource-Efficient Processing, Nutritional Adequacy, and Safety Assessment in Urban Systems”. 

The review examines how cities can strengthen food security through an integrated approach that connects sustainable food production, resource‑efficient processing, nutrition, and food safety. It explores emerging solutions such as controlled‑environment agriculture, precision fermentation, and circular bioeconomy systems, alongside strategies to improve food preservation, reduce losses, and enhance resource efficiency. The paper also highlights the growing role of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) in modernising food safety assessment and presents an integrated framework linking food production, processing, nutrition, safety, and traceability to the key pillars of food security: availability, utilisation, stability, and sustainability.

Drawing on examples from Singapore, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, the review emphasises the importance of adapting food security solutions to local contexts and coordinated efforts across engineering efficiency, nutritional value, safety assessment, and sustainability.

Chai, K.F., Samarasiri, M., Lim, H.K. et al. Engineering Food Security Under Constraint: Integrating Sustainable Production, Resource-Efficient Processing, Nutritional Adequacy, and Safety Assessment in Urban Systems. Food Eng Rev 18, 25 (2026)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12393-026-09455-8