Amber van Veghel is a professional in the field of food and sustainability and is based in Curacao. She focuses on topics such as the environmental impact of food and food security. She holds a BSc and MSc degree in Food Technology from Wageningen University & Research, where she specialized in sustainable food process engineering. On April 21 (2026), the public defence of her PhD thesis is organized at the University of Aruba, which is titled “The environmental impact and research characteristics of food systems in small island contexts: Case studies on food imports and a scoping review in Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao (Dutch Caribean)”. This PhD thesis is an output from the SISSTEM program which was initiated by the University of Aruba and KU Leuven. In this multidisciplinary work, she used life cycle assessment (LCA) to quantify the environmental impact of food imports (e.g., vegetable imports). Through a scoping review she made an overview of existing research on food production, supply, and consumption in the ABC islands. Results showed a diverse and growing research field. She concluded that future research, as well as projects and governance, should focus on solutions for the challenges in increasing local food production and food security, as well as provide insight in locally acceptable dietary changes aimed at climate change mitigation and health.