Call for Paper for a Special Issue for the Service Industries Journal.
Transforming Food Systems in Service Industries: Innovations, Sustainability, and Technology for Healthier and Resilient Futures
Guest-editors: Teheri B, Suess C & Okumus B
Deadline: 15 June 2025
Food is a key component of the consumer experience, playing a significant role across various service industries, including hospitality and tourism, as well as healthcare (e.g., hospital meal services), education (e.g., school dining programs), and entertainment (e.g., food and beverage offerings at cinemas and theme parks). The intersection of food systems with diverse service industries is rapidly evolving, influenced by every stage of the food supply chain and an interconnected network of biological, economic, social, political, and cultural activities and processes that impact how food is grown, harvested, processed, distributed, consumed, and disposed. With advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), technological and digital innovation, and growing consumer awareness around nutrition and health-conscious lifestyles, there is a rising demand for utilizing cutting-edge technologies to redefine not only food delivery and consumption but also healthcare meal services, institutional catering, and food retail operations (e.g., Bor et al., 2024; Camaréna, 2020; Gannon et al., 2022; Okumus et al., 2020; Taheri et al., 2021; Taheri & Gannon, 2021). To this end, this special issue aims to explore contemporary challenges and opportunities in integrating sustainability, healthy eating, and special dietary practices with innovative digital solutions across service industries, including but not limited to hospitality, healthcare, education, and public administration (Jia et al., 2024; Okumus, 2024; Mohammadi et al., 2023; Wood et al., 2020; Zhong et al., 2024). There is an urgent need for research on improving food systems and consumer practices by driving transformative changes that prioritize health, food choice, affordability, flavor, and both individual and societal wellbeing. These changes should also refine dietary recommendations to account for diverse individual and situational factors (Taheri et al., 2017). Such an approach not only addresses global challenges like dietary health disparities but also promotes the development of inclusive strategies that resonate across diverse cultural contexts.
In addition, there is a critical need to align environmental goals with health and conservation objectives to build more resilient and responsible food systems. This alignment not only promotes sustainable food system operations that reduce environmental impacts and enhance resource efficiency but also contributes to food movement and security and improved public health across diverse service industries. By addressing these interconnected priorities, food systems can play a central role in achieving multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including improving health, reducing hunger, fostering responsible consumption, and ensuring sustainable production patterns. Thus, investigations into how advancements in various service sectors can support agroecological farming practices (Camel et al., 2025; Jia et al., 2024; Schneider & Wallenburg, 2012) and low-cost food production for the health and well-being of individuals and communities (NIH, 2024) remain limited. This special issue, therefore, will highlight research that evaluates the role of marketing in shaping and promoting ecological messages (Eyada, 2024) to boost the consumption of foods that benefit both the environment and human health. Moreover, there is a pressing need for studies that explore the connections between food, health, sustainability, consumer welfare, and the acceptance of new food innovations to address food insecurity exacerbated by climate change (Shah et al., 2024). This special issue also aims to expand our readership’s understanding of how practices such as health-conscious eating, nutritional awareness, and efforts to mitigate food scarcity intersect with environmental responsibility, technological advancements, and innovation within service industries. These innovations include the use of AI-driven tools for personalized nutrition recommendations, blockchain for transparent food supply chains, robotics for sustainable food production, and digital platforms that enhance consumer education on healthy and sustainable food choices. The issue will explore how emerging technologies and innovative practices are transforming sectors such as hospitality, healthcare, and education, enabling them to address environmental challenges, improve resource efficiency, and promote better health outcomes.
To this end, we invite authors to critically evaluate existing theories and practices, focusing on consumer behavior and broader implications for service sectors beyond hospitality. Topics may include how healthcare services encourage sustainable dietary habits, how educational institutions integrate food sustainability into curricula, and how businesses innovate in delivering eco-friendly, health-conscious products. Authors are encouraged to explore how digital innovations, sustainability initiatives, and shifting consumer preferences shape decision-making, resource conservation, customer satisfaction, and well-being across industries such as retail, hospitality, and wellness. Studies on innovative approaches leveraging AI, robotics, and other technologies to address dietary needs and sustainability, as well as the impact of nutritional education on trust and engagement, are strongly encouraged. We also welcome research on regional and cultural variations in health-oriented food practices or the integration of dietetics into services, using diverse methodologies such as qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method approaches to provide comprehensive insights.
Potential topics included, but are not limited to:
· Healthy Eating Challenges in Service Industries
· Role of Culinary Medicine in Culinary Innovation
· Consumer Behavior and Healthy Eating Trends and Issues
· Sustainability and Ethical Considerations Service Industries
· Technological and Digital Innovations in Food Systems
· Cultural and Regional Perspectives on Food Production in Destinations
· Food Processing Technologies
· Agri-food and Circular Economy
· Consumption of Foods, Ecological Human Health and Wellbeing
· Agro-Ecological Farming and Food Production
· Culinary Education
· Food Loss and Waste (FLW)
· Food and Water Insecurity
· Green Growing Practices
· Food Movement and Food Security
· Food, Nutrition and Wellbeing
· Service Failures and Recovery Strategies
· Children’s School Food Systems
· Food Policy
· Digital Marketing and Social Media Engagement
· Food Communications and Advertising
· Smart Restaurants
· Food Delivery Systems and Supply Chain Management
· Navel Foor Service Innovations
· Blockchain Technology and Supply Chain in Food and Beverage Services
· Locally produced food
· Gamification in Food Consumption
· Virtual Restaurants and Ghost Kitchens
· AI-Enhanced Menu Engineering
· AI-Powered Culinary Innovations
· Implication of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)
· Entomology and Alternative Food Sources
· Food Labeling
· Food Consumption and Societal Wellbeing
More info here.
Special Issue Editors
Babak Taheri, Texas A&M University
Courtney Suess, Texas A&M University
Bendegul Okumus, University of Central Florida
