How can policy processes remove barriers to sustainable food systems in Europe? Contributing to a policy framework for agri-food transitions

Abstract

Highlights • Food policy integration is needed for a transition to sustainable food systems • We develop a policy framework that links the policy cycle to transition theories • The evolution of Food and Nutrition Security through the CAP cycles is analysed • A map of food-related policy instruments is developed to assess synergies and gaps • Effective food policy needs to be system-oriented and knowledge-integrated

Achieving Food System Transformation: Insights From A Retrospective Review of Nutrition Policy (In)Action in High-Income Countries

“…16 A number of global policy frameworks, of different scope, have been developed subsequently to classify potential nutrition actions. 5,11 Some are relevant to specific countries or issues, for example, Food-PRICE in the United States, 81 others focus on agriculture, 82,83 while those encompassing broader food systems tend to be set descriptively at a relatively high level rather than identifying leverage points for potential intervention. 2,3,58 The NOURISHING framework was applied in this study as it is practical and popular; is applicable internationally, yet its focus on obesity and NCDs is highly relevant to high-income economies; provides flexibility to shape local responses; fosters categorisation, reporting and monitoring; and is accompanied by a frequently updated database that provides a global overview of implemented government policy actions.…”

Stakeholder Perceptions of Policy Tools in Support of Sustainable Food Consumption in Europe: Policy Implications

“…The need to transform agri-food systems to address these challenges has been highlighted in various socio-economic and political agendas by academia and other institutional actors recently at both the international and regional levels; e.g., [1,[3][4][5][6]. The food system concept has become important in both research and in policy discourse, as it addresses the complexity of food as a cross-cutting issue [7]. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) [8] defines a food system as "the entire range of actors and their interlinked value-adding activities involved in the production, aggregation, processing, distribution, consumption and disposal of food products that originate from agriculture, forestry or fisheries, and parts of the broader economic, societal and natural environments in which they are embedded" (p. 1).…”

“…It will also require the integration of policies from different policy spheres, such as agriculture, climate and the environment, health, and worker's rights. A coherent and holistic vision is necessary to guide institutions towards sustainability [7]. For these requirements to be realized, it is necessary to examine the role of different actors in the agri-food system and take into account their perspectives on the availability and feasibility of various policy options [9].…”

Research and innovation as a catalyst for food system transformation

“…As Candel and Pereira (2017 : 89) explain, while in the past “food policy was primarily used to indicate the whole range of policy efforts that affect food system outcomes”, today the notion has more and more come to be used to emphasize the need for integrative strategies that align these policy efforts into a concerted whole”. Food policy integration also raises the need for novel ways of using and combining policy instruments in policy mixes for food system transformation ( Galli et al, 2020 ). A concrete examples of such interventions is the development of urban and regional Food Policy Councils (FPCs) that aim to integrate and develop holistic local food policies by fostering collaboration between a range of stakeholders ( Mendes & Sonnino, 2018 , pp.…”