EU’s upcoming food systems law is taking a ‘dangerous’ turn, NGOs warn

Campaign groups have warned that the EU’s sustainable food law risks going off course as conversations turn to food security and the strengthening of the internal market – something the European Commission has defended, insisting this is a key pillar of the law.

The framework, expected in the third quarter of this year, aims to accelerate and facilitate the transition to sustainable food systems.

An original leak of the impact assessment ahead of the proposal put a focus on mandatory requirements for sustainable public procurement, as well as on voluntary harmonised sustainability labelling systems.

A Commission presentation during a recent civil dialogue group meeting suggests that its core aim is “to improve the functioning of the internal market, in a manner that enables the systemic changes needed by all actors for the transition to a resilient and sustainable EU food system”.

However, under the heading ‘sustainability principles for policymakers guiding the evaluation of thematic/sectoral law,’ food security tops the list, followed by the ‘do no significant harm principle’.

EU food systems law to lean on green labelling, procurement

Mandatory requirements for sustainable public procurement and a voluntary harmonised sustainability labelling system have been ranked among the preferred policy initiatives under the EU’s framework for a sustainable food systems (FSFS) law, according to a leaked impact assessment.

For NGOs attending the meeting, the Commission’s presentation represents a “dangerous” shift in the narrative.

“The law is falling apart really,” Birdlife’s Marilda Dhaskali told EURACTIV, calling it ‘toothless’.

“This is supposed to be about rebalancing power in the food chain – to include food security as a key objective is unacceptable,” she said, pointing out that the reference only appeared during this latest meeting.

The appearance of the term is notable given that it coincides with rising political tension over food security concerns and pushback from the right camp of the European Parliament over the EU’s proposed nature restoration law.

Likewise, European Environmental Bureau’s Isabel Paliotta, said this latest presentation was “highly concerning in several respects”, lamenting the lost ambition as the conversations on the SFS law have progressed.

For example, she noted that key principles of environmental and EU law, such as the precautionary and polluter pays principles, were “notably absent”, while there was “no mention at all of the action on the marketing of unhealthy and unsustainable foods”, particularly to children, in the presentation.

“The conversation on the law has taken a dangerous turn,” she said, slamming the focus on food security and the internal market.

However, while WWF’s agriculture and sustainable food policy officer, Giulia Riedo, agreed the law was at risk of being ‘watered down’, she said she had “not yet lost hope” for the law.

“This is a law that is badly needed,” she stressed, adding that while many elements were missing from the presentation, there is still plenty of opportunity to work towards improving elements of the law.

However, the Commission dismissed the concerns,

“Of course, food security is amongst the principles [of the law]” Claire Bury, deputy director-general responsible for food sustainability at DG SANTE, said when asked about the controversies at an event on Wednesday (28 June), stressing it has not just become an issue now with the advent of the Ukraine war.

“Food security is important, as is open strategic autonomy, but we have to balance that in a way that it is not at the expense of everything else,” she said.

She also gave some clarity as to when the law can be expected after a failure to win approval from the Commission’s quality control board sparked concerns over its timeline.

She said the Commission had been “working intensively” on improving it as per the board’s recommendations and, as things currently stand, the law is “still on track for a proposal for the autumn”, specifying that this means “around about October”.

EU food systems law proposal hits first stumbling block

The impact assessment on the proposal future framework for sustainable food systems (FSFS) has failed to win approval from the Commission’s quality control board, according to sources, although this is not expected to delay the presentation of the proposal. 

[Edited by Gerardo Fortuna/Zoran Radosavljevic]

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