Food security remains a central pillar of global health, population dynamics, and nutritional well-being, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where structural inequities, environmental pressures, and economic instability intersect. This Collection aims to advance interdisciplinary understanding of food and nutrition security as both a determinant and outcome of health, recognizing its multidimensional nature that spans food availability, access, utilization, and system stability. We seek contributions that illuminate how food systems, nutrition, and population health converge to shape outcomes across diverse settings, with particular relevance to maternal, child, adolescent, and other vulnerable populations.

Recent global evidence highlights the persistence of food insecurity despite gains in agricultural production, with hundreds of millions still unable to access sufficient and nutritious diets and billions unable to afford healthy food. Economic shocks, rising food prices, and climate-related disruptions continue to strain food security and dietary quality, particularly for vulnerable populations. At the same time, changing dietary patterns, urbanization, and the nutrition transition are reshaping health risks, contributing to the dual burden of undernutrition and non-communicable diseases. Increasingly, research points to the need for systems-based approaches that integrate agriculture, nutrition, public health, and socio-economic factors in order to address these challenges effectively.

Building on these developments, this Collection will explore innovative, context-specific approaches to improving food and nutrition security, with particular attention to regions facing climate vulnerability and rapid demographic change. Insights from policy and implementation highlight the importance of governance, local adaptation, and resilience in strengthening food and nutrition systems. There is also growing interest in new intervention models, ranging from improved complementary feeding strategies to the application of digital tools across food supply chains, which have the potential to influence nutritional outcomes across the life course.

The Collection welcomes a broad range of methodological approaches, including primary research studies, secondary data analyses, demographic and population-based studies (including analyses using DHS and related datasets), intervention evaluations, implementation research, policy analyses, and systematic evidence syntheses. Submissions may focus on individuals, households, communities, or populations, provided they contribute meaningful insights into the determinants, consequences, or solutions related to food and nutrition security.

Continued research in this field can help refine how food systems are designed, managed, and evaluated in diverse contexts. As global scientific and policy discussions increasingly focus on sustainable agriculture, food system resilience, and innovation, there is a clear need for evidence that connects disciplines and informs practical decision-making. Future work should emphasize approaches that are scalable, context-sensitive, and responsive to inequalities in food security, while also supporting long-term nutritional and health outcomes.

In this Collection, we invite submissions covering a range of topics, including but not limited to:

• Determinants and measurement of food and nutrition security
• Food systems transformation, resilience, climate vulnerability, and sustainability
• Nutrition-sensitive interventions and dietary patterns
• Climate change, environmental stressors, and food security
• Urban and peri-urban food security dynamics
• Policy, governance, and economic drivers of food security
• Innovations in food technology, digital agriculture, and nutrition science

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 2: Zero Hunger.

All submissions in this collection undergo the journal’s standard peer review process. Similarly, all manuscripts authored by a Guest Editor(s) will be handled by the Editor-in-Chief. As an open access publication, this journal levies an article processing fee (details here). We recognize that many key stakeholders may not have access to such resources and are committed to supporting participation in this issue wherever resources are a barrier. For more information about what support may be available, please visit OA funding and support, or email OAfundingpolicy@springernature.com or the Editor-in-Chief.

Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases remain major threats to population health, health systems and social and economic stability worldwide. Outbreaks of novel pathogens, the resurgence of vaccine-preventable and neglected infections, zoonotic spillover, antimicrobial resistance, climate-sensitive transmission and cross-border spread continue to challenge preparedness and response capacities. These risks are particularly acute in settings affected by poverty, conflict, displacement, food insecurity, weak surveillance infrastructure and limited access to preventive and clinical services. This Collection seeks to advance evidence on the epidemiology, prevention and control of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, with particular attention to population-level impacts and health system responses in low-resource and vulnerable settings.

Recent outbreaks have underscored the importance of timely detection, integrated surveillance and coordinated public health action. Genomic surveillance, digital epidemiology, field investigation, environmental monitoring and community-based reporting can strengthen early warning systems and improve understanding of transmission dynamics. At the same time, effective prevention and control depend on vaccination, infection prevention and control, risk communication, community engagement, vector control, cross-border collaboration and equitable access to diagnostics, therapeutics and care. Yet many countries continue to face gaps in surveillance coverage, laboratory capacity, outbreak readiness, data sharing and implementation of evidence-based interventions.

Continued research on emerging and re-emerging infections is essential for building resilient health systems and improving epidemic preparedness. Studies that integrate epidemiology, One Health approaches, implementation science, health policy, behavioral research and health economics can help clarify drivers of emergence, identify populations at greatest risk and evaluate strategies for prevention and control. As infectious disease threats become increasingly interconnected with climate change, urbanization, migration, food systems and ecological disruption, public health responses must move beyond emergency containment toward sustained, equitable and multisectoral preparedness.

In this Collection, we invite submissions covering a range of topics, including but not limited to:

• Epidemiology, transmission dynamics and population-level burden of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases
• Zoonotic spillover, One Health surveillance and environmental drivers of infectious disease emergence
• Outbreak investigation, field epidemiology and rapid response in low-resource and high-risk settings
• Genomic surveillance, pathogen evolution and integration of molecular data into public health decision-making
• Epidemic preparedness, health system resilience and implementation of prevention and control strategies
• Cross-border spread, migration, travel, conflict and displacement in relation to infectious disease transmission
• Vaccination, risk communication, community engagement and equitable access to diagnostics, treatment and care
• Climate change, urbanization, food systems, vector ecology and other social or environmental determinants of infectious disease risk

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being.

All submissions in this collection undergo the journal’s standard peer review process. Similarly, all manuscripts authored by a Guest Editor(s) will be handled by the Editor-in-Chief. As an open access publication, this journal levies an article processing fee (details here). We recognize that many key stakeholders may not have access to such resources and are committed to supporting participation in this issue wherever resources are a barrier. For more information about what support may be available, please visit OA funding and support, or email OAfundingpolicy@springernature.com or the Editor-in-Chief.