A strategic use of public procurement and clearer environmental and social criteria will be key to boost the transition
Local and regional leaders call on the European Commission to publish the legislative framework for sustainable food systems as planned, later this year. The framework law should create coherence between different food-related policies through a harmonised approach based on the environmental, social and economic sustainability of food systems and to recognise the crucial role of local and regional authorities in addressing food challenges. As one of the key actors, they also want to be engaged into the new governance model expected to be set up by the Commission. These were the main demands of the opinion on the Legislative framework for sustainable food systems by Joke Schauvliege (BE/EPP), Vice-President of the Flemish Parliament, adopted at the plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR).
Addressing the plenary session, Rapporteur Joke Schauvliege (BE/EPP), Vice-president of the Flemish Parliament, said "A European sustainable food strategy can only be realized if local and regional authorities are sufficiently engaged. Public catering and food environments are crucial to achieving sustainable food. There must be room for customization and the strategy must be built from the bottom up. There is a great deal of expertise and experience available at the local and regional authorities and this must be valorised. That is why we advocate an advisory European food council in which local authorities are involved."
The European Commission (EC) work programme foresees the adoption by the end of 2023 of a new legislative framework for sustainable food systems (FSFS), an initiative which is part of the Farm-to-Fork Strategy and that aims the promotion of food policies coherence and harmonisation at EU and national level, integrating the principle of sustainability.
The CoR supports the intent of the European Commission to put forward a legislative framework for sustainable food systems and adopted a series of recommendations to ensure that horizontal and sectoral policies related to food systems are in line with the goals and objectives of the future legislative framework for food systems of the Farm-to-Fork Strategy and the objectives of zero pollution.
The proposal of local and regional leaders focuses on the importance of a harmonised approach to food policies in the Union that considers all elements and activities from production to consumption and is based on clear scientific definitions of environmental, social and economic sustainability principles and objectives. It aims to establish cooperation and involvement of the various levels of governance in the EU, with a clear definition of the responsibilities of all stakeholders in the food system, including the role of local authorities in the transition of the sector.
Members strongly advocate that cities and regions are key players in addressing the challenges of food systems since food constitutes an activity within sectors that are often the responsibility of local and regional authorities, like the promotion of health, school sectors, regional development and spatial planning. Therefore, cities and regions have a crucial role to play in creating healthy 'food environments' by ensuring that sustainable, healthy diets are the most straightforward and most accessible choice through appropriate urban planning by avoiding, for example, fast food restaurants near schools and facilitating access to healthy food options such as seasonal food markets and thereby also supporting sustainable producers.
Local and regional representatives request the European Commission to set up a multi-stakeholder platform on sustainable food systems, involving the CoR and other stakeholders, to create a support network an exchange of experiences that would help the transition to more sustainable food systems in European regions and cities, taking into account regional disparities.
Food public procurement is an important and powerful tool to help local and regional authorities to promote the transition to more sustainable food systems. Public procurement in schools, hospitals, elderly care homes and canteens, that favours healthy, seasonal and local food and short supply chains, contributes to the goals of healthy food systems and the Sustainable Development Goals. The CoR urges the European Commission to set minimum standards for EU public catering, to clarify the existing constraints within EU rules and to make widely available the guidelines on how to use food public procurement and to support local and regional authorities to use it efficiently, taking into account sustainability criteria and local and regional circumstances.
Cities and regions underline that a sustainable food system must ensure climate-responsible food production and guarantee food security and nutrition for all, now and in the future.
