Many people are familiar with the concept of "food system" and understand the process of food from farm to table. Far fewer, however, are aware of the broader and more comprehensive "Shiance system", which encompasses the food system.
If the "food system" represents a short chain "from farm to table," the Shiance system represents a complete loop "from farm to gut and back to farm." While the food system is production-centered, focusing on efficiency, the Shiance system is human-centered, prioritizing the health of the eater. In essence, the Shiance system is a sustainable evolution of the traditional food system.
1. What Is Food System?
The concept of "food system" was first formally introduced by Marion. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), it is defined as a system composed of participants and activities involved in food production, aggregation, processing, distribution, consumption, and disposal. Globally, around 4.5 billion people rely on the food system for their livelihoods.
Food systems (Source: North Carolina Local Food Council)
A well-functioning food system affects not only human health but also the health of our environment, economy, and culture, helping to strengthen families, communities, and nations.
In a written statement to the 4th World Shiology Forum, UN Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted the current global food crisis: Around the world, 780 million people are going hunger and more than 3 billion cannot afford healthy diets. Meanwhile, one-third of all food produced is lost or wasted. Unsustainable food production, packaging, and transportation are feeding the climate crisis - generating colossal greenhouse gas emissions, using over two-thirds of the world's freshwater, and accelerating biodiversity loss. We must urgently transform our food systems to make them more sustainable, equitable, and resilient, with people at the center, while ending hunger once and for all.
In the past, the focus was simply on whether there was enough food. Today, hunger, diet-related chronic diseases, food waste, and contamination coexist, and the traditional food system struggles to meet modern human needs. This has brought the more comprehensive and sustainable Shiance system into focus.
So, what distinguishes "food system" from "Shiance system," and how will it reshape our future?
Shiance system (Source: Liu Guangwei, Shiology Positioning: Establishing the Tacit “Shiology Knowledge System”, Journal of Shanxi Agricultural University, 2025, 24(5): 26–36)
01 Focus: From Production to the Entire Chain
Food system: Focuses on production, emphasizing food output, efficiency, and supply.
Shiance system: Takes a broader perspective, considering not only production but also utilization and waste management. It emphasizes whether the food consumed is healthy and how it is digested, absorbed, and eventually returned to the soil.
02 Scope: From a Single Segment to a Closed Loop
Food system: Covers a single link—from farm to table.
Shiance system: Encompasses a complete cycle: from farm to gut, from gut to excretion, and back to farm. Humanity now faces not only the question of "enough to eat" but also "healthy and sustainable eating."
03 Core Goal: From Efficiency to Health
Food system: Prioritizes production efficiency to solve hunger and food scarcity.
Shiance system: Centers on human health, addressing the dietary needs of 8 billion people—covering sufficient food, safety, diversity, longevity, and sustainability. Its ultimate goal is to promote long-term health and longevity.
Professor Liu Guangwei, Chairman of the World Shiology Forum and Director of the Shiology Research Center at Renmin University of China, explained:
"The food system organizes agriculture, processing, aquaculture, livestock, and fisheries into an integrated system. The Shiance system is a larger framework that adds the eater’s needs and the order of eating itself. It not only includes the food industry but also the Shiance industry. The table is not the end point; food is ultimately consumed, excreted, and returned to the soil. The short chain—from mouth to excretion—is central, placing humans at the core."
If the food system ensures humans are fed, the Shiance system ensures we eat well, eat healthily, and eat for longevity.
Yin Weilun, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Director of the National Expert Advisory Committee on Ecological Protection and Construction, emphasized at the 5th World Shiology Forum:
"Ecological indicators should be integrated into food system performance. We need to consider the process from farm to table, from table to gut, and from gut to excretion back to the farm—measuring each country’s policies in terms of ecological gain or loss. This links food systems directly to human digestion and material recycling."
Today, with hunger largely addressed, the Shiance system's value is increasingly clear:
01 Human-Centered: Protecting Eater Health
It prioritizes the eater, emphasizing harmony between food and the body. By ensuring dietary balance, it helps prevent chronic diseases and promotes long-term health and longevity.
02 Circular Chain: Enabling Sustainability
By integrating food production, utilization, and degradation into a closed loop, the Shiance system aligns human dietary needs with ecological balance. It breaks the traditional linear consumption model, promoting harmony between humans and nature and supporting sustainable development.
The Shiance system, grounded in eater health and guided by sustainability, establishes a full cycle from farm to table, to gut, and ultimately back to farm. It represents a practical pathway for the sustainable transformation of the food system.
The Shiance system responds directly to the dietary needs of 8 billion people worldwide and embodies our responsibility to the future of the planet.
Contact Person: Mr Zhang E-mail: Secretariat@shiology.world