Our Early Stage Researcher Chiara Falvo (ESR n. 15, University of Turin) and our Network Coordinator and Lead Researcher Roberto Caranta (Professor at the Law Department of the University of Turin) recently contributed to the European Commission’s Public Consultation on the Sustainable EU Food System Initiative, which aims to make the EU food system sustainable and to integrate sustainability into all food-related policies. Together with general principles and objectives, the initiative will lay down the requirements and responsibilities of all actors in the EU food system, including minimum mandatory criteria for sustainable public procurement of food.

In the context of the ‘‘European Green Deal”, the European Commission adopted a comprehensive Farm to Fork Strategy, which recognises the strong links between healthy people, healthy societies and a healthy planet and aims to address comprehensively the challenges of sustainable food systems. The Farm to Fork Strategy announced an initiative for a horizontal framework law, to accelerate and facilitate the transition to sustainability and ensure that foods placed on the EU market increasingly become sustainable. In preparation for this initiative, the European Commission launched a broad consultation process, aimed to gather views and inputs from all stakeholders. This consultation takes a high-level approach, focusing on overarching issues related to food system sustainability.

The public consultation takes the form of a questionnaire with 25 questions. Questions 18 to 20 focus on public procurement of food served in schools and public institutions and investigate the extent to which schools and public institutions should consider sustainability when purchasing food, as well as specific aspects such as meal accessibility and affordability, the frequency of certain types of foods, the social, environmental, and nutritional impacts that should be considered, and the range of information to be provided in public canteens.

This public consultation is open from 28 April to 21 July 2022.

SAPIENS Network gave its feedback on the Inception Impact Assessment

In October 2021, the SAPIENS Network gave its feedback on the Inception Impact Assessment of the European Commission’s Sustainable Food System Framework initiative, which can be read below.

The Inception Impact Assessments aim to inform citizens and stakeholders about the Commission’s plans in order to allow them to provide feedback on the intended initiative and to participate effectively in future consultation activities. Citizens and stakeholders are in particular invited to provide views on the Commission’s understanding of the problem and possible solutions and to make available any relevant information that they may have, including on possible impacts of the different options.

Chiara Falvo

Early Stage Researcher n. 15

University of Turin

Roberto Caranta

Network Coordinator and Lead Researcher

Professor at the Law Department of the University of Turin