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.
Sostenibilità alimentare
Il cibo è un elemento fondamentale della nostra vita e fa parte integrante della cultura europea. Tuttavia, gli alimenti che mangiamo, il modo in cui li produciamo e le quantità che vanno sprecate hanno ripercussioni considerevoli sulla salute umana, sulle risorse naturali e sulla società nel suo complesso:
- I cittadini – e in particolare i bambini – sono sempre più in sovrappeso e soffrono di obesità a causa di regimi alimentari non sani.
- Gli agricoltori e i lavoratori non riescono ad ottenere prezzi equi per i loro prodotti.
- Un terzo degli alimenti va perduto o sprecato lungo la catena alimentare.
- È l'ambiente che paga il conto di questa situazione, con gli effetti drammatici della produzione e del consumo di alimenti sui cambiamenti climatici, sulla perdita di biodiversità, sull'inquinamento atmosferico e idrico, sul degrado del suolo, ecc.
La crisi COVID-19 è un campanello d'allarme che ci esorta a un cambiamento. Essa ha mostrato che portare gli alimenti "dal produttore al consumatore" non è un processo scontato, e che esiste un'interconnessione tra attori e attività nell'intero sistema alimentare. Sono più che mai necessarie filiere di approvvigionamento eque, efficienti sotto il profilo delle risorse, inclusive e sostenibili in tutto il settore agricolo e alimentare, con pari vantaggi per i cittadini, gli agricoltori, i lavoratori e le imprese.
Il CESE è da anni in prima linea nell'invocare una politica alimentare sostenibile e completa. Tale approccio integrato e sistemico è essenziale per: affrontare le molteplici e interconnesse sfide che interessano i sistemi alimentari; realizzare una sostenibilità economica, ambientale e socioculturale; garantire l'integrazione e la coerenza in tutti i settori politici (quali l'agricoltura, l'ambiente, la sanità, l'istruzione, il commercio, l'economia, la tecnologia, ecc.) e promuovere la cooperazione tra tutti i livelli di governance.
Pages
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.
How to link sustainable food procurement with strategic policies or climate change actions? How to overcome public procurement issues related to purchasing "local & regional food"? If 1€ invested in sustainable school meals brings up to 6€ in social return in investment imagine the impact of sustainable school meals all across Europe! ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability in partnership with the Committee of the Regions and the Organic Cities Network Europe invite you to the 30th edition of Breakfast at Sustainability.
EESC puts forward proposal to increase their contributions. The bioeconomy is a crucial factor in fighting climate change, responding to the growing food demand and boosting rural areas. In its opinion on the Updating of the Bioeconomy Strategy, adopted at its plenary session of 15 May, the EESC calls for better support for SMEs in the form of advice and access to finance
Food is at the centre of our lives and an integral part of the European culture. Food also plays a crucial role in our economy: it is the Union’s biggest manufacturing sector in terms of employment and contribution to GDP. Also, the food we eat, the ways we produce it and the amounts wasted have major impacts on human health, on natural resources and on society as a whole.
Today, as a true pan-European collaborative venture, the European Commission, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), COPA-COGECA and IFOAM Organics Europe are together launching the first ever EU organic awards. These awards will recognise excellence along the organic value chain, rewarding the best and most innovative actors in organic production in the EU. Applications will be open from 25 March until 8 June 2022.