SAFE, SUSTAINABLE AND AFFORDABLE FOOD

Europe needs a food system that puts safe, sustainable and affordable food at the centre — while recognising the farmers who produce it. EAT Europe believes that sustainability must be grounded in facts, science and the realities of food production, not in simplified narratives or selective environmental claims. The environmental footprint of different production systems must be assessed based on robust, comparable and transparent evidence, taking into account the entire food chain. At the same time, Europe must address the imbalance of power within food supply chains and tackle unfair trading practices that undermine farmers and food producers. Farmers are not simply another actor in the supply chain: they are the producers at its foundation. Food starts in the field. Europe should also ensure that the debate on novel foods, lab-grown products and new production technologies is based on evidence, transparency and consumer choice. Public policy has a decisive role to play from public procurement to regulatory frameworks, European institutions should use their purchasing and regulatory power to support safe, sustainable, affordable and resilient European food production.