European Union
Discussion topic outcome
Food labelling is an area where the EU wants to improve transparency and the value of information given to consumers, through using technology such as QR codes. In parallel, there needs to be education to ensure consumers are more aware of the nutritional and environmental impacts of foods, and are better able to exercise choices. The EU has committed to reaching the UN Sustainable Development Goal of halving per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer level, and reducing food losses along production and supply chains by 2030, and will come up with its own proposal to set legally b
... Read moreinding targets for 2030. It was noted that the functioning of the food chain has had problems in the past. The price signal from consumers has not always reached farmers, and farmers have not always been able to find the right way to supply what the market required. In the last 10 years, the EU has done a lot to improve the way the supply chain functions, improve business-to-business relationships and eliminate unfair trading practices. There is now increased transparency in the food chain, particularly for better price information. Within the EU’s Farm to Fork strategy, the Green Deal and the human capital strands are key, it was said, but they could be more closely integrated. Globally, tackling hunger and malnutrition requires a doubling of investment in 10 key areas, mainly related to on-farm investments, food value chain and social protection. Two major areas of urgent concern are wasting among children and anaemia, especially among women. The latest projections are that we will not achieve the 2030 SDG target before 2130. A transformation of the food system solution needs to be combined with a health system solution and environmental vector solution, alongside a framework for women’s empowerment. There is also a need to focus on food safety along the supply chain. The panel highlighted the need to make safe food a universal human right, not just a commodity. It was suggested that there is a need for global policies because of globalisation, driven not only by the market but by public investment. In a globalised world, global standards and global mechanisms are required for issues such as biodiversity, nutrition and corporate governance. In providing support to third countries, it is necessary to look beyond emergency food aid and look at the root causes of hunger and food insecurity more broadly: these are linked to the economic and social situation and frequently to conflict. All these elements must be viewed together in a systemic perspective. As well as dealing with an acute food crisis in parts of the world, it is necessary to consider the longer-term perspective and increase resilience. Investing in rural and smallholder farmers results in significant poverty reduction and positive impacts not just for farmers but for the entire economy. Fisheries and aquaculture is an important sector to be considered in a sustainable food system, producing a much smaller carbon footprint than a lot of land-based types of farmed animals, in some cases by orders of magnitude. Aquaculture and fisheries can be sustainable but fisheries face two big challenges: managing fish stocks in a sustainable way, and managing the impact that fishing has on the whole marine environment, such as bycatch and damage to marine mammals. Read less
Action Track(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Keywords: Data & Evidence, Environment and Climate, Finance, Governance, Human rights, Innovation, Policy, Trade-offs, Women & Youth Empowerment
