At present, the food sector is regulated by a very wide range of policy domains in which the EU has exercised its legal competences over time. The adoption of the F2F Strategy can also be seen as an attempt to create a more integrated food strategy 3. Specific follow-up steps are set out in an accompanying action plan 1, which lists a range of legislative commitments and their timing. As such, the strategy primarily has an agenda-setting function to show effect, the envisioned actions require translation into EU and national legislation. To realize the quantitative targets, it sets out both regulatory and non-regulatory initiatives, including a legislative framework for sustainable food systems for which a proposal is expected before the end of 2023. The strategy includes ambitious and concrete targets on pesticides, fertilizers, organic farming and antimicrobial resistance to be achieved by 2030. It is the first time in the history of EU food law that the union has addressed food sustainability in a comprehensive manner, from primary production to the consumer. The F2F Strategy aims to make the EU food system fair, healthy and environmentally friendly, and has been hailed as a cornerstone of the European Green Deal under the 2019–2024 European Commission. We conclude that the strategy’s potential for fostering a genuine change of EU food systems governance will largely depend on the resolution of these challenges and the ability of the EU’s leadership to continue political momentum - and this will be further challenged by the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. From governance and legal perspectives, we identify four major challenges that will determine whether the F2F Strategy will truly be a game-changer: the unresolved ambiguity of food sustainability, the discrepancy between policy objectives and the specific legal actions proposed, the vulnerable institutional embedding within the European Commission, and limited coordination with the EU’s Member States. However, the strategy’s success will ultimately depend on its implementation in the very near future. Published in May 2020, it represents a first step towards genuine food systems governance 2 and seems well timed to address some of the most pressing environmental and public health concerns that European society faces. To enable and accelerate the transition to a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system, advisory services, financial instruments, but also research and innovation are instrumental as they can help resolve tensions, develop and test solutions, overcome barriers and uncover new market opportunities.The European Union (EU)’s new Farm to Fork (F2F) Strategy 1 is lauded as a major advance in European food policymaking. The EU will support the global transition to sustainable agri-food systems through its trade policies and international cooperation instruments. Taking stock of learning from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commission will also develop a contingency plan for ensuring food supply and food security. The strategy sets out both regulatory and non-regulatory initiatives, with the common agricultural and fisheries policies as key tools to support a just transition.Ī proposal for a legislative framework for sustainable food systemswill be put forward to support implementation of the strategy and development of sustainable food policy. preserve affordability of food while generating fairer economic returns, fostering competitiveness of the EU supply sector and promoting fair trade.ensure food security, nutrition and public health, making sure that everyone has access to sufficient, safe, nutritious, sustainable food.help to mitigate climate change and adapt to its impacts.have a neutral or positive environmental impact.The Farm to Fork Strategy aims to accelerate our transition to a sustainable food system that should: New technologies and scientific discoveries, combined with increasing public awareness and demand for sustainable food, will benefit all stakeholders. Putting our food systems on a sustainable path also brings new opportunities for operators in the food value chain. We need to redesign our food systems which today account for nearly one-third of global GHG emissions, consume large amounts of natural resources, result in biodiversity loss and negative health impacts (due to both under- and over-nutrition) and do not allow fair economic returns and livelihoods for all actors, in particular for primary producers. The Farm to Fork Strategy is at the heart of the European Green Deal aiming to make food systems fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly.įood systems cannot be resilient to crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic if they are not sustainable.
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