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Topic 4: GIs to promote cultural identity, and ensure food and dietary diversity. Participants confirmed through their experience that many GIs contribute a lot to cultural identity and food culture, by keeping them alive, preserving their reputation and their link to the territory. GIs are recognized as an effective mechanism for the transmission of know-how and cultural identities to younger generations. Likewise, through the preservation of specific quality food, GIs can promote food and dietary diversity. This is particularly the case for GIs linked to gastronomy and traditional diets. Sev... Read moreeral examples of GIs contributing to healthy diets were also mentioned. For example, many fermented products are protected by GIs while they represent markers of the diversity of the food heritage and dietary diversity. Other traditional processing methods were also mentioned for their nutritional interest, such as drying, which makes fruits and vegetables available when not in season. The cases of products from local biodiversity were also highlighted. On the link between GI and nutrition and health, participants recommended more data collection and research to be carried out. Participants also underlined the important question of the origin of raw materials: when they are not locally produced, the link to the cultural identity and biodiversity is weak. To increase the contribution of GI to sustainable food systems, participants emphasized the importance of supporting a more comprehensive approach, including social and environmental pillars, with emphasis to their link to cultural heritage. This vision should also be better communicated to consumers, citizens and tourists, through education activities, while reflected in the GI products’ specifications. The role of primary producers should also be more emphasized in general and fruitful synergies could be enhanced, including with agro-ecology, Globally Important Agricultural Heritage sites (GIAHS), cooks and gastronomy networks. Read less

Topic 3: GIs to preserve local natural heritage, environment and biodiversity. Some local communities have been successful in recognizing and adding value to their products, through the GI scheme, based on the interactions involved in the “human-nature” relationship, often embedded in complex ecosystems. Participants agreed that GIs represent an opportunity for the preservation of biodiversity and the environment, while there is not an automatic correlation. GI products’ specifications potentially allow a broad variety of options aimed at increasing ecosystem conservation. Some of these ... Read moreoptions are the inclusion of specific plant varieties and local animal breeds, the introduction of hedges, limits on crop yields and density as well as animal production, and the implementation of agroforestry production methods. The preservation of natural heritage, biodiversity, and the ecosystem represent objectives which are envisaged at various degrees and forms. Based on the several cases discussed, no generalization is possible. Participants also raised the risks linked to the intensification of production, when the GI becomes a victim of its own success and producers do not organize themselves to limit the potential negative impact on the use of resources. Key factors have been highlighted to increase GI contribution to the preservation of the natural heritage: producer awareness on the importance of their natural resources, collective agreement on the modalities to implement and regular self-assessment of the GI impacts on the territory, in particular in the environmental dimension. In this view, raising awareness and building the capacities of producers is crucial. Read less

Topic 2: GIs for quality management, traceability and consumer protection Participants from different countries confirmed that control from farm to fork depends on national regulations. This results in a variety of systems and needs. On the other hand, common challenges also emerged, such as the importance of continued, effective and accessible controls and traceability. More specifically, strengthening collective management organization is the key factor for quality management and to govern the internal control system in particular, in combination with some form of external control. Having sa... Read moreid that, external control bodies, public or private, often lack in developing countries. In terms of traceability, the participants suggested that solid systems for continued monitoring should be established and be accessible to small producers, without adding excessive costs. Traceability was underlined as a condition to access export markets. A system of farm/operator code, under the supervision of an internal or external control body, seems to be affordable for producers even in developing countries. But there are some difficulties for the recognition of the GI specifications and control/certification on the foreign markets, due to the diversity of national GI logos. For example, IT based traceability systems (e. g. QR code) are solutions that could also be more accessible to consumers to ensure high consumer protection and trust. Contrary to organic or fair-trade labels, that are based on general and easily understandable principles, GI product specifications throughout the world, and even within the same country, considerably vary as to the level of requirements, linkage to traditions, landscapes or cultural values as well as the environmental impacts of the production. Therefore, it makes it much more difficult to establish a high standard and even more to communicate on promises to consumers. The important role of the government was highlighted for increasing producers’ awareness and compliance with the GI product’s specification. Their role in increasing consumers’ awareness was also noted, including with campaigns for public awareness and with the objective of making local people proud of their own GI product. Participants also call for reducing, when it is the case, the governmental pressure on registration, which should occur after management and control system are fully established. In the meantime, temporary GI protection could be implemented to avoid misuses. Read less

Topic 1: GIs to support market access and fair and equitable value chains: empowering local producers. Participants in the related discussion groups all agree on the relevance of GI initiatives to strengthen value chains and make them more equitable. GI initiatives allow space for dialogue and recognize the roles of the most vulnerable actors (smallholders, women, youth) in defining and adding value to the specific characteristics of a given GI. They also facilitate dialogue and governance between different operators and increase trust (which is particularly necessary in long and export-driven... Read more value chains), which finally result in living and dynamic rural areas. To this end, empowerment of local producers is crucial. The role of neutral facilitators, especially grassroots organizations, was emphasized to accompany producers in the long term, provide technical support for the product differentiation, support the development of alliances and a territorial governance, enhance the scalability of the project and equilibrate forces between the various operators in a given value chain, to the advantage of small economic actors. Participants also highlighted the crucial role of public authorities and legal framework, as a starting point for the empowerment and joint efforts from different stakeholders. The control and traceability system was also acknowledged as an important instrument to strengthen value chains. Participants’ views on actions to be supported: • In value chains where the added value is not sufficiently redistributed to primary producers, the definition of minimum prices could be considered. • GI initiatives can feed trust among actors, but sometimes distrust can remain an important barrier to overcome; in this respect, innovative platforms, including social media, represent interesting tools to build trust between producers as well as with consumers. Read less

The main finding of the independent dialogue was to confirm the crucial contribution of the GI scheme – with its territorial approach – to sustainable food systems and SDGs. The dialogue also acknowledged that GI schemes are key drivers to bring stakeholders together along an equitable value-chain, but do not automatically result in positive effects on sustainability. In this respect, the important role of regulations and public authorities was acknowledged, notably to ensure the control, traceability and enforcement of the rules of production defined by the community of producers for the ... Read morebenefits of producers and consumers. The cooperation between countries to fight misuses and to protect the reputation of GIs was also deemed crucial. Within this framework, GI products’ specifications appear to be an important instrument for increasing the sustainability of production systems. Territorial governance of localized agri-food value-chains is an important outcome that benefits public-private coordination. In particular, sound GI products’ specifications play a critical role in the preservation and promotion of natural resources, including biodiversity, cultural identity and food diversity. This needs to be better communicated to consumers, for example, for products whose consumption contributes to promote traditional and diversified diets, and preserve noteworthy landscapes. Participants supported the idea to scale-up the benefits of the GI territorial strategies by creating connections and cooperation between GI territories. In particular, cooperation between countries and initiatives, even at different stages of development, is appropriate to share experiences and best practices, create synergies and develop joint promotion on GI products. This network of initiatives would contribute to sustainable food systems at the global level, and could enhance linkages between urban centers and GI territories, so to better promote local and global consumption of GIs. In this context, the need for technical assistance has also been noted, while benefitting from synergies with projects and concepts on agro-ecology. Participants recognized it was time to promote the GI business model that integrates all the dimensions of sustainability, i.e, not only economic but also social and environmental dimensions, including cultural heritage. Indeed, these dimensions are intrinsic to the GI concept. These findings on GIs could actually bring lessons and experiences to other territorial approaches to contribute to sustainable food systems and SDGs . Read less

This independent dialogue focused on “Geographical Indications for a territorial approach to the SDGs”. This is relevant in the context of Action Track 4, “Advancing Equitable Livelihoods” and more specifically for Action Area 4.3, “Localizing Food Systems: Strengthening Sustainable Territorial Development”. Over the last years, Geographical Indications (GIs) have emerged globally as a powerful Intellectual Property and rural development tool. A GI is a sign used to designate goods originating from a particular place that has a specific quality or reputation attributable to that ge... Read moreographical origin. These qualities are the result of local factors, natural and/or human, embedded in the GI specification describing the characteristics of the product, its method of production and the delimited geographical area. GIs represent a collective asset linked to local heritage and the product’s reputation. They can be effective tools for building territorial processes towards the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs). In the framework of the Independent Dialogue, the presentation of GI cases and the exchange among experts from all over the world generated valuable insights and meaningful recommendations towards advancing equitable livelihoods through fair and inclusive value chains as well as sustainable food systems. Discussion topics included: • GIs to support market access, and fair and equitable value chains: empowering local producers; • GIs for quality management, traceability and consumer protection; • GIs to preserve local natural heritage, environment and biodiversity; • GIs to promote cultural identity, and ensure food and dietary diversity. Read less

• Increasing availability and demand simultaneously – how do manufacturers take consumers with them and vice versa? One of the challenges with pre-prepared meals is a large element of needing to be demand-driven. Manufacturers are developing products with higher proportions of veg, but it can be a challenge presenting it to customers. If you don’t present a “quality” offering of what the customer wants, then you lose the business. ‘All veg ready meals’ don’t always sell, there’s a need to try to innovate on increasing veg content rather than all veg • Consumers may want new... Read more products but new product development process is expensive and risky for manufacturers – it requires time, development process, allergens, lab testing etc. Where successes have happened there have been economies of scale to enable companies to manufacture specific products. Taste profiles of main brands are hard to change, manufacturers rare reluctant to change the taste of these but there might be opportunities for new product lines to be more experimental with veg • More promotions and work between manufacturers and retailers needed to increase promotion in store and TV advertising. Manufacturers can’t control placement in store and amount of promotions – this is all led by retailers. Manufacturers need to work more closely with retailers • Collaboration – opportunity for governments to bring food system stakeholders together – to co-create policy and help inspire innovation Read less

Specific citizen suggestions to manufacturers: 1. More veg and more meat free products – some manufacturers are moving into meat free product lines so visions for increasing veg sit beside increasing consumption of meat free. These two visions should go hand in hand – increasing veg consumption shouldn't lose out to the expansion of meat free plant-based products 2. Veg based ready meals not to include unsustainably produced products e.g. unsustainably sourced soya and palm oil 3. Veg content in some products good but reduce sugar content – need to look at the big picture and nutritional... Read more guidance in the round – not just increasing veg 4. Make more recipes to have veg as star of the meal – many recipe suggestions are still meat based and more could be done to suggest veg 5. Amount of veg in recipes should be less prescriptive – instead of specific grammes say whole or half a vegetable e.g. 1 carrot, 1 courgette rather than grammes. Agreement from manufacturers but an acknowledgement that tech issues mean grammes simpler to put in recipe than whole veg amounts 6. Website recipes could include tray bakes/batch cooking which uses veg. This might encourage caterers/development chefs from wholesalers; supply chain; public services. They could be taught how to use the products and how to add more veg 7. Versatile recipe suggestions – veg recipe suggestions and narratives should cater for range of diets - flexitarian, meat-eater, vegetarian and vegan. e.g. chicken is prevalent as an ingredient. This could be made more flexible with other suggestions such as veg/coconut milk/tofu 8. More clarity in recipe suggestions on how many people and how many portions of veg are included 9. Recipe suggestions on jar/online – jar limited by space and competing demands, often the recipes are replaced by competitions etc. Websites not necessarily a go to but good for more information. In store placement of veg near products suggested but this is retailer dependent not manufacturer 10. Serving size images should reflect portions of veg. Limited amount of on pack space for Information/ pictures of serving sizes so manufacturers aware this means websites needs to be very clear and correct as people are being directed there 11. Make visuals more consistent of what the plate/dish would look like help Images of meals sometimes not mirrored in the recipe. Could the image show a smaller portion of meat with 2 portions of veg? This could make the dish more accessible/more in line with sustainable diets. Manufacturers keen that the recipe images reflect the actual recipe and will check their images for distortion and check they are in line with their healthy diet principles 12. Add in a ‘veg hint/suggestion’ to recipes to help show how easy it could be to use and add veg 13. Add a prompt on provenance – include a hint to ask people to stretch to what their budget allows for more UK or sustainably produced meals 14. More positive veg comms – demo videos, Blog articles and thought leadership for the industries 15. More veg dishes/recipes from around the world – There’s an appetite for the development of new ready meals. Manufacturers could do more by looking at the new opportunities offered by new trends that happen to be healthier and include more veg e.g. Vietnamese food 16. More products with more veg for convenience stores – can only stock a small/limited range of products. In order to reach these customers it is important that more veg is in more products. Can manufacturers add more veg to main ranges rather than a limited few? 17. Convenience stores would benefit from more meal kit ranges with more veg and is there an opportunity for convenience stores to link with local caterers? 18. More veg competitions/ challenges – competitions for customers to showcase veg, linking in with talking about the recipes on the website 19.More celebrating of mealtimes – more of this recommended as people tend to eat more veg of they’re sitting around a table 20. Sharing good practice on manufacturer own canteen veg – some positive impacts on veg sales seen in some manufacturers canteens that could be built on Read less

What’s going well? • Many commitments to up veg sales have been achieved – and manufacturers are already looking to do better. Achievements includes: o Eatwell guide and fruit and veg consumption targets being used to inform development of products o Millions more portions of veg sold o Promotion of veg on websites good and good visibility of veg online o Transformations across social media channels with the inclusion of veg and bright colours. A positive amount of veg and conversation on national veg week o More recipes on packs including veg o Recipe recommendations on pack and online ... Read morebeing driven by 2 portions of veg o One manufacturer working with schools o Promotion of mealtimes by manufacturers o Increased % of veg in a number of ready meal ranges o One manufacturer sourcing 100% of one of their veg lines from the UK However there was agreement that: • We need to do more to increase consumption the of veg and there is a willingness to trial new ideas Opportunities discussed were: • Customers are looking for a solution – though they don’t necessarily know what it looks like. In a competitive market, the one who comes up with the solution at a competitive price gets the business • Schools are customers too – all school food standards should include 2 portions of veg and these standards should be monitored for compliance. This could be an opportunity, with suppliers, to drive up demand in schools. If suppliers could demonstrate how their offering meets the regulations, they could increase the likelihood of getting business at the same time as contributing healthy products. Manufacturers and catering suppliers can engage with children in schools to help drive up demand, e.g. activities, gardening, veg growing, taste testing of healthy products, competitions to design a new product which have to be healthy, sustainable and work commercially • More pre-prepared meals in catering due to reducing chefs in kitchens – this could be a challenge or an opportunity. There is an opportunity for more healthy manufactured products to be designed and made for food service • There are some great marketing campaigns to increase veg consumption which could be pushed more and also links made to Veg Power. Lot going on in this space but always room for improvement. Push the message about seasonality and UK produce. The discussion identified an enormous amount of work being done by Manufacturers, that wasn’t always visible. There could be an opportunity for suppliers and manufacturers to shout a bit louder what they are doing on veg • Heathy start vouchers have gone up in value for food that is fresh, frozen or tin vegetables for families in low income. This is a good opportunity for Manufacturers to work with supermarkets to promote their fresh or frozen veg • More recipes including veg as the star: e.g. a recipe attached to frozen mix veg package range • Look to the Netherlands – Healthy Generation Initiative. Looks at people born today with the ambition that when they are 18 years old they are eating enough vegetables • Veg snacking – opportunity to not just focus on mealtimes but expand veg ranges into snacking – think about all the in between moments • Make veg more inspiring, interesting, appealing – bring in seasoning, sauces and other products that complement different types of veg • More World cuisine Veg dishes - people are enjoying a greater diversity of food e.g. Japanese, Vietnamese etc. Create a range of ready meals, recipes, vegetable mixes that would help put veg at the heart of different cuisines • Sustainable farming of veg – some manufacturers showing gold standards for sustainable farming of their produce. Celebrate this good practice and inspire others Read less

This Independent Dialogue had a specific focus on one area of the food system – making manufactured foods more veg filled. It brought together citizens, representatives from food manufacturers, government, researchers, retail and civil society, to explore current opportunities and barriers for food manufacturing to increase veg consumption.

Impactful aquatic foods research and innovations across the  UN Food System Summit’s 5 Action Tracks In Malawi, innovations in the sustainable supply chain, such as solar drying and milling of solar-dried fish into powders, are improving nutrient density, quality and safety of aquatic food as well as extending access through improved storage life; maintaining quality and reducing loss during transportation and retail; and increasing access to better markets and household income for women. In Bangladesh, nutrition-sensitive approaches to aquatic food systems, such as the introduction of n... Read moreutrient-rich small indigenous species for pond polyculture, with strong support from government and research organizations, are a means to improve the country’s sustainable production and consumption of diverse aquatic foods. In India, the inclusion of fish-based products in state-funded school feeding and maternal nutrition programs is supporting the research for development efforts in combating the severe issue of malnutrition through the consumption of healthy, nutritious diets, especially among the marginalized communities. In the Caribbean, climate change services and innovations for fishers, such as growing temperature-resilient corals; developing multi-function mobile apps for aiding SSF with weather and emergency information, scaling fish aggregating devices (FADs); and the farming of seaweed as a low-trophic substitute for raw materials, are contributing to community resilience against climate shocks and natural disasters. Read less

Sustainable  aquaculture in contributing to more resilient and sustainable food systems Aquaculture encompasses diverse systems in marine and inland waters as well as homestead ponds that can be developed, alongside fisheries, to boost local production of nutrient-rich foods. Nutrition-sensitive approaches to aquaculture allow for the production of large quantities of diverse food in a sustainable and efficient manner that encourages household consumption of nutrient-rich foods. When managed sustainably with targeted investments, aquaculture promotes planetary health while improving best pra... Read morectice management guidelines can also build food systems resilience against socio-ecological shocks. Investments in technologies and policies can promote locally available fish feed sources, diversify markets, and capacity-building opportunities that improve entry into the sector, especially for women small-scale fish farmers, who are often marginalized. Read less

The  power of aquatic foods in making sustainable, healthy diets a reality throughout the world Aquatic foods are often the most accessible animal-sourced food for millions in low- and middle-income countries. By scaling new innovations and technologies for large-scale food system transformation, aquatic foods can alleviate malnutrition with a low environmental impact. Aquatic foods provide vital micronutrients during the first 1000 days of life and beyond, improve cognitive development in children and adolescents, reduce stunting, and are associated with positive behavior and mental health ... Read moreoutcomes. Ninety percent of inland catch, which includes small-scale inland fisheries, is consumed locally, making aquatic foods and sustainable healthy diets accessible in low-resource settings. With a renewed focus on lower trophic level species, which are capable of reproducing their biomass and can be consumed whole, aquatic foods can transform global food systems within planetary boundaries while reducing food loss and waste. Read less

Food systems transformation with aquatic foods to inform and shape research-to-policy outcomes in the UN Food Systems Summit  Fisheries and aquaculture already support the livelihoods of around 820 million people worldwide, 90 percent of whom work in the small-scale sector, and half of which are women. While global per fish capita consumption is increasing, inequity in food systems continues to lead to disparities in access. Local production of nutritious aquatic foods must be improved in order to meet growing demand in low-income nations. Through the sustainable intensification of aquacultu... Read morere, improved management of capture fisheries, and fish value chains that reduce fish loss and waste, in combination with promotion of aquatic foods through nutrition interventions during crucial developmental periods and food-based dietary guidelines, food and nutrition security can be enhanced within planetary boundaries. To ensure equitable access to nutritious food and income benefits for all, a holistic approach to food systems is needed to ensure the availability of nutritious aquatic foods to all people and offer a sustainable source of income.  Read less

In this UN Food Systems Summit Science Day side event hosted by WorldFish and FAO, multidisciplinary researchers from a diversity of regions will share how aquatic food systems’ innovations are leading the way to achieve the 2030 agenda. The discussions identified key actions needed to drive multi-stakeholder collaborations and commitments to ensure aquatic food systems transformations are a central part of UN Food Systems Summit outcomes.

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OPPORTUNITIES FOR REGIONAL ACTION Participants representing different sectors and organizations discussed their role in making food systems more sustainable. Discussion was introduced by some recommendations outlined at the 8th APFSD: Achieving sustainable food systems requires an integrated approach; Leveraging social protection system to enhance food security and nutrition outcomes; Strengthening urban agriculture and local food production can improve nutrition and access to food among the urban poor; Restoring the health of agroecological systems will be needed to boost resilience; Effectiv... Read moree recovery responses will need to pay particular attention to the gendered impacts of changes in the agricultural system; Digitalization can play an important role in strengthening sustainability and resilience through supply chain and improved traceability; Importance of data availability to inform policy and programming, including by providing regular data on household food security, affordability of diets, and consumer choices. Climate induced stresses and shocks are magnified by social and political fault lines. Some countries have misalignment between farming policies, adaptation of financial and technical resources and climate adaption responses. Simulated modelling for implementing research informed climate smart agricultural techniques, new technologies for data collection and increased crop production are instrumental to feed the growing population with the same amount of arable land. Public research agencies should adopt these new technologies but need political will and commitment. Regional cooperation is needed for technology transfers. For many people farming is not a choice. To advance equitable livelihoods for small farmers while promoting sustainable and efficient production methods there is a need to confer land rights to farmers and secure their access to lands and forests. At the same time, equal rights are needed by women farmers; notably ASEAN has a roadmap for gender sensitivities in farming. Other measures include promoting the agency of family farmers; increasing their social and political power, giving them access to economic and social services. We need to value the services provided by farmers, and appreciate biodiversity and fresh produce. This in turn calls for better infrastructure and access to local markets. Better infrastructure can connect local consumers to wider markets, improving consumer choices and access to foods. Regional trade can promote enhanced food availability and access to healthier nutritious food. Addressing supply chain practices at all stages and collaboration between primary food producers is key for making safe food available. Food standards should be harmonized at regional and sub regional level. Nutrient information on packaged foods should be easy to interpret to allow consumers to make informed choices. Rice is the staple crop for the region, but rice farming correlates with malnutrition, poverty, and depletion of natural resources. Water variance and availability is affected by drought and climate change, so we need better regional assurances and dialogue between surplus and deficit countries to ensure food security. Policy alignment is critical on safety standards as well as better data definitions to avoid food waste and loss and provide better predictability of crops and food availability. Nature positive production is already economically viable, but we fail to recognize it because we do not measure a range of negative and positive externalities across the value chain. We need perverse subsidies to be 'repurposed' to pro-nature alternatives, which would allow the price that consumers pay to better represent the 'true cost' of food. Proper economic valuation of natural capital is unquantified at present but may become a key indicator of GDP. An economic structural transformation is the precondition for agriculture competitiveness and improved food systems. Farmers need access to infrastructure, finance, digitalization, transport etc. Low public sector investment makes private sector key, but it needs a more business-conducive environment. Read less