Agricultural and environmental drivers of variation in the composition of food crops: A scoping review

Abstract

Societal Impact Statement: Agricultural management and environmental conditions influence the biochemical composition of food crops; however, the specific drivers of this variation remain insufficiently understood, despite their importance for climate change adaptation and human health. This review synthesizes evidence on upstream agricultural and environmental drivers of food crop composition and analyzes subdrivers identified in the literature. The main findings indicate that most research addresses heavy metal bioaccumulation and the application of amendments in major crops such as vegetables and cereals, whereas relatively few studies examine agroecological management, atmospheric conditions, or impacts on lipids and broader phytochemical diversity. These findings highlight persistent knowledge gaps, particularly concerning the effects of less-studied drivers on food quality. The results emphasize the need for integrative, cross-disciplinary research, and standardized foodomics tools within global food systems. Summary: The biomolecular composition of our food, a critical determinant of human health and nutrition, is shaped by complex interactions between plants, agricultural management, and the environment. Understanding the drivers of variation in food composition is essential for addressing major global challenges including malnutrition, food safety, and sustainability. Following the PRISMA-ScR protocol, we conducted a scoping review to investigate the agricultural and environmental drivers that impact food composition across 482 included studies to map research trends and knowledge gaps. Our analysis reveals that agricultural drivers' impact on food composition were the most examined across the literature (51.7% of studies, 249 studies), followed by studies examining both environmental and agricultural drivers (31.3%, 151) and environmental drivers alone the least investigated (17.0%, 82). Among agricultural drivers, nutrient management (185 studies) was the most studied, and agroecology (23 studies) was the least examined subdriver. Among environmental drivers, ecological conditions (232 studies) were most studied, whereas atmospheric conditions (28 studies) were the least examined subdriver. Overall, the literature reflected 154 unique food crops, with vegetable and cereal crops the most represented, and underutilized crops the least represented. The literature further focused on food components with significant public health implications, including heavy metals (259 studies), micronutrient minerals (188), and broad classes of macronutrients, such as total protein (106) and total sugars (100). This scoping review disaggregates the research gaps and opportunities to further elucidate how agricultural management and environmental drivers contribute to variation in food composition, informing nutrition security interventions and the development of resilient food systems for human and planetary health.