Ivo Mechels, Euroconsumer - Approved by Tomorrow: the future of our food should be safe and sustainable
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GUEST BLOG - APPROVED BY TOMORROW: THE FUTURE OF OUR FOOD SHOULD BE SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE
As part of our blog series for World Food Safety Day 2020, we asked consumer advocacy leaders to share how they are taking action to protect our right to safe, healthy and sufficient food.
Ivo Mechels, CEO of Euroconsumers, discusses the importance of empowering consumers to make healthier and more sustainable choices as we rebuild our societies post-COVID-19.
For the past few months, consumers all over the world have been caught in the tremendous turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. While COVID-19, in all its fierceness, hit our health systems, societies and economies, it has also created the necessary time and space to reflect on our way of living, with food being a major part of this. Every cloud has a silver lining and (re)thinking our food system, its safety and sustainability, might be one. However, even more than creating an opportunity for more sustainable food, this crisis has shown us that this is also an undeniable necessity.
Sustainable food systems to ensure safe and healthy food
First the good news. Despite the large scale of the pandemic, there has been no indication at all that COVID-19 can be transmitted via food consumption. Today it is safe to say that food as such doesn’t pose a contamination risk. The European food system - thanks to the sustained efforts of all those working in food and farming - fortunately did not collapse. However the crisis brought major disruptions to the food system, shaking supply and demand, and disorganising trade flows.
Despite images of empty shelves – largely due to consumer panic buying – food scarcity has not been a significant problem. That is, so far. There is still a risk it will become a major issue if the EU fails to move towards more sustainable food production and consumption. A more sustainable food system, where greenhouse gas emissions from farming are reduced, the use of pesticides is cut to preserve biodiversity and where antibiotics are no longer needed thanks to improved animal husbandry, is a prerequisite to secure the supply of safe and healthy food in the long term.
Safe and healthy food for healthy people
Another fact that COVID-19 made very clear is that our health status – partly determined by what and how much food we put on our plate – has a big impact on how sick we get when contaminated by the virus. Overweight, and in particular obesity, have been shown to affect how ill people get from COVID-19. But also in non-COVID times, overweight and obesity are risk factors for many more diseases – from diabetes and strokes to several types of cancers – and put a significant strain on our healthcare systems.
Just as consumers are finally starting to shift towards healthier eating habits, they are currently faced with higher fruit and vegetable prices due to labour shortages caused by border closures and increased consumer demand. With 1 out of 2 European adults being overweight or obese (1 out of 3 children), it is about time the EU makes healthy food the easy and convenient choice for consumers.
To assist consumers in making this informed choice, Euroconsumers has been promoting Nutri-score, an easy and clear health indicator on food packages. As part of the Farm to Fork Strategy, the European Commission announced it will work towards an EU-wide simplified nutritional label to help consumers compare the nutritional value of food products at a glance. Sadly, a concrete proposal for a harmonised label may not emerge until 2023. With 6 EU countries having already opted for Nutri-Score and the scheme gaining momentum among retailers and food companies, Euroconsumers are anxious to see Nutri-Score being used on all food packages across the EU!
Safe food that is “Approved by Tomorrow”
Above all, COVID-19 has shown us that after the health crisis, as we rebuild our economy and society, we cannot merely go back to business as usual. Now more than ever, the momentum is there to push for the shift to a more sustainable way of living. Facing the challenge of the post-COVID-19 economic crisis will not only require vigilance to make sure our safety standards are not reduced. Above all it will require us to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to guarantee access to healthy, safe and sustainable food at a fair price for consumers going forward.
Our food habits have already been changing for the better. A recent survey by the Belgian consumer organisation Test Achats shows that 34% of Belgian consumers are cooking more often and that 28% pay more attention to food waste. In addition, food shopping has become more digital, with many consumers purchasing groceries online from supermarket chains, but also from small farmers who have turned to the internet and social media to sell their products. COVID-19 has made many consumers wonder how they could bring the farm closer to their fork, leading to a surge in demand for food from local, short supply chains.
Most consumers are willing to change their eating habits. But if we want to make it work for everyone, we must ensure that sustainable eating is made 'easier' by changing price signals, providing better information and offering more sustainable alternatives. Only in that way can sustainable food really be “Approved by Tomorrow” (*). Euroconsumers aims to be a guide, facilitator, watchdog and partner in this process towards more sustainable food – to empower consumers to make different choices and ensure they can become a driving force towards a more sustainable food system.
(*) Manifesto of Euroconsumers “Approved by Tomorrow” regarding sustainability.