New scientific report ‘Towards a sustainable food system’ by the SAPEA consortium

The present EU food system provides a high level of food security, food safety and wide consumer choice. Its environmental, economic and social sustainability are by contrast poor. Maintaining ‘business as usual’ will endanger natural resources, our health, the climate, and the economy. The scientific opinion by the SAPEA (Science Advice for Policy by European Academies) consortium published in May 2020 provides advice on how to achieve a sustainable food system.

It recommends making environmental, social and economic sustainability the central objective of all policies relevant to food, in which ‘food’ is viewed more as a common good than a commodity. It calls on the European Commission to: be the engine that drives change in the EU and beyond, taking an active, step-wise and fully integrated approach; address power and information asymmetries in the food system and support a food environment that helps citizens to make sustainable choices; use a well-balanced policy mix in an iterative, responsive and adaptive manner, considering binding policy measures as the main drivers.