As the year 2023 draws to a close, we approach the halfway point of ‘Food 2030’, the research and innovation policy framework launched by the European Commission in October 2016. This moment – which aligns with the European Commission’s recent Food 2030: green and resilient food systems conference – provides an opportunity to reflect on what has been achieved so far and what lies ahead for sustainable food systems change.
First, consider the conference itself. Great attention was paid to the event by a wide range of food system actors, in a clear sign of interest in mutual exchange and dialogue with the European Commission. This was also a sign that there is momentum that can be harnessed to accelerate the transition to sustainable food systems; in particular as the European Commission, together with EU Member States, plan to launch a European ‘Partnership for Safe and Sustainable Food Systems’ in 2024.
The conference also showed that a sustainable food systems law is not yet off the table, and stakeholders expect the European Commission to deliver on this front. The European Commission is continuing to work on the issues that should have been (formally) addressed in the legislative framework for sustainable food systems (FSFS), but provided no further updates on this matter at the conference. The delay in delivering is a major setback for many stakeholders.
For ICLEI Europe – as well as other representatives, including civil society actors – this makes it even more important to assess which parts of the Farm to Fork strategy can be implemented to support the European Green Deal, and to assess where there is still potential for action. This also depends on the priorities set by the upcoming presidencies of the Council of the EU (in 2024).
Alongside other stakeholders, ICLEI sees particular potential for immediate action in two areas:
- the provision of healthy (and sustainable) school meals and food education to all children, as well as
- sustainable food procurement.
The former goes hand in hand with the “San Sebastián Declaration” published by the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU, which highlights the urgency of ensuring the right to healthy food, especially for vulnerable children, to fight child poverty and to promote equal opportunities and social justice. The latter can be achieved through the introduction of minimum mandatory standards across Europe, such as those recommended in the Sustainable Food Procurement Manifesto. Minimum procurement criteria addresses multiple challenges at the same time – from promoting healthy diets and combating food insecurity, to fostering demand for fair and organic products and supporting small-scale farmers, to tackling climate change – all without necessarily increasing costs.
How can the EU deliver on its promise to transform food systems by 2030?
Many EU-funded projects, such as SchoolFood4Change, FoodCLIC, FoodPaTHS and AfriFoodLinks (all supported or led by ICLEI), are simultaneously tackling food systems issues from different angles and developing innovations for more resilient food environments. As all these projects produce valuable results, knowledge sharing is becoming increasingly important in this sphere. At an international and project level, new platforms, such as the Food 2030 Project Collaboration Network will make an important contribution to encouraging co-creation across projects. Beyond that, to foster replication, the European Commission can support local governments by collating data on the impact of existing initiatives and projects, and by providing municipalities with crucial and convincing evidence on effective and efficient measures for more resilient (urban) food systems and greater food security.
‘Food 2030’ includes four main goals: I) nutrition for sustainable and healthy diets; II) food systems supporting a healthy planet; III) circularity and resource efficiency; and IV) innovation and empowering communities. Given that each of these are equally important and interlinked, a systemic food systems approach to food systems transformation is needed. This calls for trans-disciplinary action across sectors, including the arts, sciences, psychology, soil health, agriculture, nature-based solutions, policy and procurement; and demands that processes are designed to be more inclusive, involving all types of stakeholders, such as civil society, small-scale farmers, consumers, public authorities at all levels, as well as private actors. To this end, ICLEI Europe raises the voices and needs of local and regional governments, and advocates for multi-level and multi-stakeholder governance processes. To support municipalities and regions, the European Commission’s institutions should encourage multi-level dialogue on specific food issues. EC institutions should make it easier for local governments to access finance to pilot ambitious projects.
Food should be an integral part of the EU's missions on climate neutrality, adaptation, circularity, and health.
In addition to gaining insights into the upcoming priorities of the European Commission, ICLEI contributed to the recent Food 2030 conference in various ways. ICLEI experts hosted an engaging side-event in the framework of the FoodPaTHS project, which touched upon questions like: “How do we ensure that the governance of food systems and food systems funding is inclusive, grounded in local action, but globally relevant?” and “What does a food systems approach to transformation really mean and look like?”. In addition, Peter Defranceschi, Head of the Global CityFood Programme and ICLEI Europe Principal Expert, was given the opportunity to highlight ICLEI Europe’s engagement in the area of school meals (see SchoolFood4Change) in a panel on ‘Sustainable healthy diets and nutrition’. Two ICLEI Europe project contributed to the conference's Food Village Exhibition, which was among the ways the event offered participants the opportunity to exchange ideas with other actors to find synergies with other projects and initiatives.
There is still a lot to do until 2030. And there is no lack of options for action.
At COP28, which took place at the same time as the Food 2030 conference, EU countries raised their ambitions by signing the COP28 UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action, through which 159 countries committed to integrate food concerns into their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Now it is time to coordinate across governance levels and collaborate with all relevant stakeholders to deliver on such promises by 2030.