Farm to Fork: Towards a sustainable and resilient food system in Europe

The global demand for food will increase in the future. By 2050, two billion more people will need to be fed on Earth. But is it feasible without exceeding the planet’s limits? The environmental pressure posed by our food system is already tremendous and should not be underestimated.

Agriculture is among the greatest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions while being at the same time heavily impacted by the effects of climate change. Farming is also the largest user of our precious water resources while being a major polluter that contributes to accelerating the loss of biodiversity.

Meanwhile, European consumers have become more and more demanding with the quality of the food they eat, as they should be. They want healthier food and expect greater transparency and traceability. In this regard, better labelling regarding both health and environmental impacts of food products will also play an important role in promoting more informed consumer choice.

Figures show that the global organic food and drink market has grown rapidly over the last years and will continue to grow in the next decade . European consumers have become more environmentally aware leading to increase significantly the sales of organic food products.

Moreover, Europe is torn between the need of maintaining food at an affordable price for EU consumers while meeting the highest environmental and food safety standards without hindering the competitiveness of European farmers and the food industry… An extremely sensitive and delicate task that will require a balanced and carefully measured approach.

While a radical transformation of our food system is needed to make our society more sustainable and resilient, one should not overlook the strong and complex social, economic and ecological implications. Can the EU overcome such a big challenge? Will EU policymakers manage to solve Europe’s food dilemma?

Last May, the European Commission decided to tackle this huge challenge with its Farm-to-Fork Strategy and address the weaknesses of our food system to sustainably feed 450 million European citizens and preserve our environment from potential harmful effects.

Breaking down silos by adopting a holistic approach, the new cross-cutting strategy outlines the main policy orientations to reduce the environmental footprint of our food while encouraging healthier diets. Thus, the Farm-to-Fork strategy is not just about agriculture, it is also about climate, environment, health, digital, competitiveness, and jobs.

Increasing food productivity in a sustainable way will not be enough to meet the growing food demand. The EU will also need to change from linear food consumption to a more circular economy. From a European perspective, this means reshaping the policy framework regulating food chains, while from a more local and individual perspective, this means changing agricultural practices, adapting the food industry, and switching our consumption habits.

The EU will need to redesign its entire food system, literally from farm to fork, to make it future-proof. Driving the necessary policy change, supporting research and innovation, investing in new technologies, encouraging sustainable farming practices which do not necessarily involve massive use of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, will all be critical to achieve a competitive, sustainable, and resilient food system in Europe.

The reform of EU agriculture and fisheries policies offers great opportunities to develop the needed resilience and sustainability. Some trade-offs will most likely be necessary and these should be carefully assessed to avoid threatening Europe’s food security. For sure, tough political negotiations lie ahead of this strategy but Europe’s consensual spirit will, as always, be the key to unlock positive outcomes for the greater interest. 

Editorial by
Laurent Ulmann &
Cyrille Mai Thanh

Editor-in-Chief 

Laurent ULMANN