Danone and Unilever are among food and drinks heavyweights urging the newly-elected European Commission to "put sustainability at the heart" of its agri-food policies.
In a letter sent yesterday (9 December) to Christophe Hansen, the new European commissioner for agriculture and food, the companies encouraged Brussels to “deliver a vision for agriculture and food that accelerates Europe’s transition to sustainable farming and consumption, ultimately helping ensure long-term competitiveness”.
The letter was also signed by dairy-alternatives business Oatly, cheese giant Bel Group and frozen-food major McCain Foods.
Hansen, who has been in post for just over a week, has been given a mission brief by EC President Ursula von der Leyen to prepare in the first 100 days “a vision for agriculture and food, working under my guidance and in coordination with other members of college”.
She added: “This should look at how to ensure the long-term competitiveness and sustainability of our farming and food sector within the boundaries of our planet. It should also look at food waste and promotion of cutting-edge science, innovative technologies and emerging products in the agri-food sector.”
Among the companies' demands is for the EC to increase environmental payments in the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP).
They have also called for the establishment of mandatory sustainability criteria for public procurement.
And they want the EC to introduce measures to “encourage citizens to shift their eating habits towards healthier and more sustainable diets to support this transition” towards a more sustainable agri-food economy.
In the letter to Hansen, the companies wrote: “We, the undersigned companies, believe the EU must actively change the way we produce and consume food to ensure that nature, consumers and the farming and food industries can thrive.
“The triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution is challenging long-term food security and farmers’ ability to continue to produce quality crops and food supplies.”
The letter added: “The EU must urgently step up biodiversity protection and restoration in agricultural land, reduce GHGs emissions from the agricultural sector, and ensure adequate incentives to support farmers in the transition.”
One of the measures the group wants to see introduced includes benchmarking of sustainability in agriculture by setting common definitions and criteria for on-farm sustainability, which it said would help farmers, food manufacturers and retailers to invest in common solutions.
They have also urged Hansen to “set clear overarching objectives to create enabling food environments that make healthy and sustainable food products the easiest and most affordable choice for consumers across the EU”.
The letter concludes that “the EU has the opportunity to help the farming and food industry operating in Europe achieve a fairer, more resilient and healthy food supply chain and show global leadership by putting sustainability at the heart of its agriculture and food policies”.
To coincide with the food and beverage companies’ letter, environmental groups, including Greenpeace, WWF and Friends of the Earth, have also asked the new commissioner to prioritise sustainability in his plans.
Commenting on the letter, Giulia Riedo, sustainable farming policy officer at WWF, said: “Companies know that making food supply chains truly sustainable is key to staying competitive in the long term – starting at the farm.
“Many farmers are already adopting greener practices, but their efforts must be rewarded to incentivise others to follow. The Commission should increase funding for CAP payments for ecosystem services and rethink existing subsidies that harm not only the planet but also our competitiveness.”
Just Food has asked the EC for its response to the letters.
