Introduction

Global food security challenges have become apparent due to multiple factors including a substantial increase in the global population, climate change, and water scarcity.[1] By 2050, global food supply chains must ensure sufficient nourishment for an estimated 9 billion people, which is 60% more than the demand at present.[1, 2] This rising demand is partly due to shifts to richer diets (e.g. dairy, processed food) in certain parts of the world, which have also included an increase in grain consumption.[2, 3] Moreover, substantial climate change and land degradation have further exacerbated food security globally.[4, 5] Specifically, 11.1% of households in the United States were food insecure in 2018 and 12.7% were food insecure in Canada, suggesting that the food security challenge is not specific to underdeveloped regions.[6]This challenge has also been amplified as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as availability, access, and stability of the food supply have been compromised.[7] According to the United Nations, nearly 2.37 billion people did not have access to an adequate food supply in 2020, which accounted for a 15.6% increase from pre-pandemic times.[8] Therefore, continuous efforts to sustain an increasingly stressed food supply chain both during and after the pandemic will be essential.