Study: A Shift to a More Sustainable Food System Is Inevitable 

A radical change is coming in how the world produces and distributes food and a new report from Science Advice for Policy by European Academies (SAPEA) lays out the social science evidence on how that transition can happen in an inclusive, just and timely way. Based on the best available evidence, key steps towards the new model are not only to reduce food waste and to change our consumption patterns — but also to recontextualize how we think about food in the first place.

“In order to transform the food system, we will also have to change current modes of governing, both by the government as well as by markets and society. Among other things, we will need more space for experimentation, flexibility and inclusiveness in decision-making,” said Katrien Termeer, professor of Public Administration and Policy, Wageningen University & Research.

Jeroen Candel, assistant professor at the institution added that “In addition to that, we need to dismantle perverse incentives that support the status quo. For example, the European Common Agricultural Policy currently hardly contributes to a genuine transition of the food system. We made similar observations for other policy domains.”

The Evidence Review Report Towards a Sustainable Food System for the European Union provides an evidence base for the scientific opinion of the European Commission’s Chief Scientific Advisors. It was requested by the College of Commissioners and written by a multidisciplinary group of leading scientists, nominated by academics across Europe.

Professor Peter Jackson, the chair of the working group that wrote the report, says: “Food is an incredibly complex system, with social, economic and ecological components. Yet, it contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and plays a key role in driving climate change. The food system is responsible for around a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization estimates the annual financial cost of wasted food to be EUR900bn in economic costs and an additional EU800bn in social costs. That’s why “business as usual” is no longer an option.”

“Our report doesn’t stop at highlighting the problems, which are now widely recognized. It also provides a range of evidence-based examples about how the transition to a sustainable food system can happen.”

Main conclusions

The report’s key takeaways include:

• The transition to a more just and sustainable food system needs to be coordinated at multiple levels of governance and involve a range of actors in both land-based and marine environments.
• To change how our society consumes food, we must first change people’s routines, habits and norms.
• Behavior change is best effected with joined-up actions, addressing groups rather than individuals.
• Taxation and legislation are key ways to driving change, while European policies in agriculture and fisheries offer great opportunities for developing robustness and sustainability in food production.