Comité Económico y Social Europeo
La alimentación ocupa un lugar central en nuestras vidas y forma parte integrante de la cultura europea. Sin embargo, los alimentos que consumimos, la forma en que los producimos y las cantidades despilfarradas tienen importantes repercusiones en la salud humana, los recursos naturales y la sociedad en su conjunto:
La crisis de la COVID-19 es una llamada de atención para el cambio. Ha demostrado que la llegada de alimentos «de la granja a la mesa» no es un hecho que pueda darse por sentado y ha puesto de manifiesto la interconexión de agentes y actividades en todo el sistema alimentario. Se necesitan más que nunca cadenas de suministro justas, eficientes con los recursos, inclusivas y sostenibles en todo el sector agrícola y alimentario para que los ciudadanos, los agricultores, los trabajadores y las empresas se beneficien por igual.
El CESE lleva años liderando la defensa de una política alimentaria sostenible e integral. Este enfoque integrado y sistémico es esencial para hacer frente a los retos múltiples e interconectados que afectan a los sistemas alimentarios; para lograr la sostenibilidad económica, medioambiental y sociocultural; para garantizar la integración y la coherencia en todos los ámbitos políticos (como la agricultura, el medio ambiente, la salud, la educación, el comercio, la economía, la tecnología, etc.); así como para promover la cooperación en todos los niveles de gobernanza.
At the request of the French Presidency of the Council of the EU, in the opinion on Food security and sustainable food systems adopted at its plenary session on 19 January 2022, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) identified the key levers for sustainable and competitive EU food production and for reducing dependence on imports while increasing the EU's protein autonomy.
Strengthening local and regional food production and processing within the EU and guaranteeing decent working conditions for all workers in agriculture and the wider food sector are important objectives in seeking to improve the sustainability of the European food supply chain. Other aspects of key importance to sustainability are fair international trading practices, encouraging more women and young people into the farming sector, and structured stakeholder involvement and dialogue.
Extraordinary meeting of the Diversity Europe Group in the context of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU and the Conference on the Future of Europe on 29 November 2021
Recent events caused by COVID-19, extreme weather due to climate disruption, cyber-attacks and Brexit demonstrate the need to rethink priorities and improve the resilience and sustainability of EU food systems by reinforcing its autonomy. Food security is not a given for many EU citizens.
On World Sustainable Gastronomy Day, the EESC stresses the importance of setting the sustainability bar high on how the world should aspire to feed itself in the coming decades. It is critical to take into account where ingredients come from, how food is grown and how it gets from farms to our forks, and to carry out the urgent transformations needed to achieve more sustainable food systems. All citizens and stakeholders across all food chains, in the EU and elsewhere, should benefit from a just and inclusive transition, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic downturn.
A statement by Andreas Thurner, newly elected president of the Thematic Group on Sustainable Food Systems, on sustainable, healthy, inclusive and fair food systems and the specific priorities for his mandate.
In 2021, UN Secretary-General António Guterres will convene a Food Systems Summit as part of the Decade of Action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The Summit will focus on the the fact that we all must work together to transform the way the world produces, consumes and thinks about food.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) adopted the opinion From Farm to Fork: a sustainable food strategy at its September Plenary session, following the European Commission's communication on the Farm to Fork Strategy - for a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system. As an integral part of the European Green Deal, this is the first EU strategy claiming to encompass the entirety of the food chain.
In light of the two newly adopted strategies of the European Commission on Biodiversity and Sustainable Food, we have put together some relevant infographics that illustrate the aim of these strategies.
The EESC suggests increasing focus on sustainable, healthy diets for 2020
The Christmas festivities are over, and now it is time for many Europeans to rethink their diets and beware of obesity. The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) takes the beginning of a new year and decade as an opportunity to remind us that obesity is the cause of many diseases, and affirms its support for EU initiatives that accelerate a shift towards healthier, more sustainable diets for citizens.
