Journal profile · Agricultural Economics & Policy
Food Policy
ISSN 0306-9192 · eISSN 1873-5657 · Elsevier BV · ENGLAND · Bimonthly · Founded 1975
Food Policy: CAS Zone 1 · Economics (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 6.68; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,330; review about 210 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 181 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Food Policy is published by Elsevier BV and is in Zone 1 of Economics in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Agricultural Innovations and Practices, Agricultural risk and resilience and Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations, together about 22.7% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Food Policy is a multidisciplinary journal publishing original research and novel evidence on issues in the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of policies for the food sector in developing, transition, and advanced economies.Our main focus is on the economic and social aspect of food policy, and we prioritize empirical studies informing international food policy debates. Provided that articles make a clear and explicit contribution to food policy debates of international interest, we consider papers from any of the social sciences. Papers from other disciplines (e.g., law) will be considered only if they provide a key policy contribution, and are written in a style which is accessible to a social science readership.Policy issues that are relevant to the journal include: • Food production, trade, marketing, and consumption • Nutrition and health aspects of food systems • Food needs, entitlements, security, and aid • Food safety and quality assurance • Technological and institutional innovation affecting food systems and access • Food systems and environmental sustainabilityConceptual and methodological articles should be written so that they are accessible to the journal's diverse international readership. We normally do not publish review papers, although we might make rare exceptions for rigorous and critical reviews on topical issues.See also Elsevier's Economics Journals
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Agricultural Economics & Policy
Editor-in-chief Jutta RoosenPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 4 in mainland China (about 5%); most named United States 32, United Kingdom 8, Germany 8, India 6, Italy 6 (85 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Agricultural Innovations and PracticesAgricultural and Biological Sciences8.5%
- Agricultural risk and resilienceAgricultural and Biological Sciences7.3%
- Food Security and Health in Diverse PopulationsHealth Professions6.8%
- Economics of Agriculture and Food MarketsEconomics, Econometrics and Finance6.7%
- Child Nutrition and Water AccessNursing6.2%
- Agricultural Economics and PolicyAgricultural and Biological Sciences6%
- Organic Food and AgricultureAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.9%
- Global trade and economicsEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Economics Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Agricultural Economics & Policy | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Economics | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Food Science & Technology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Nutrition & Dietetics | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Economics Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Agricultural Economics & Policy | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Economics | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Food Science & Technology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Nutrition & Dietetics | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Economics Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Agricultural Economics & Policy | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Economics | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Food Science & Technology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Nutrition & Dietetics | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIESSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 6.68LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 6.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 11LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 11Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.01LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.4LetPub ·
- h-index
- 85LetPub ·
- h-index
- 198OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,366OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 6.28OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 8.8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 54.48%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 154LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 4,318 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 121 | 75 | 74 |
| 2025 | 181 | 107 | 892 |
| 2024 | 142 | 97 | 1,822 |
| 2023 | 128 | 90 | 2,977 |
| 2022 | 121 | 69 | 3,507 |
| 2021 | 139 | 87 | 6,416 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
210 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports about 3 months
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 3 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 6 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 68 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 210 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 15 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer review, Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 4,330 / EUR 4,050 / GBP 3,470 / JPY 537,050 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 4,550 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Suggested reviewers
- Required
- Highlights
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted2
- policy commentsUp to 600 words plus up to 10 references and up to 1 figure or table, offer brief commentary on topical issues of interest to the food policy research community…Length not stated
- review and viewpoint articlesReview and Viewpoint articles are published by invitation only. Unsolicited reviews and viewpoints will be desk rejected.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
A single corresponding author must be appointed to communicate with the journal. Model summary
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Authors must follow Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy. Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Single anonymized review process; submissions assessed by editors, then reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers; editors make the accept/reject decision. Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing allowed in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy; does not count as prior publication. Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication.
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1975
- ISSN
- 0306-9192
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-5657
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Food Policy
What CAS zone is Food Policy in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Food Policy is in Zone 1 of Economics, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Agricultural Economics & Policy / Economics / Food Science & Technology / Nutrition & Dietetics; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Economics. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Food Policy?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 6.68; CiteScore 11, h-index 198.
How long does peer review take at Food Policy?
The publisher reports about 210 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of about 3 months; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly easy”. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of Food Policy?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Suggested reviewers: Required; Highlights: Required; Cover letter: Required. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Food Policy based?
Of the 85 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 4 (about 5%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (32), United Kingdom (8) and Germany (8). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Food Policy?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Food Policy is indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus.
Is Food Policy open access, and what is the APC?
Food Policy is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,330.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .