- 18 July 2022
Towards sustainable food consumption
We are currently working on this topic, answering the following question:
- What tools could be used at EU level, in addition to those mentioned in the 2020 Farm to Fork Strategy, to overcome the barriers preventing consumers to adopt sustainable and healthy diets, fostering the necessary change towards sustainability in the food environment?
We will deliver our report in spring 2023.
Why are we working on this topic?
As part of the Scientific Advice Mechanism, we were asked to support the European Commission’s Group of Chief Scientific Advisors in preparing advice on this topic. The evidence we gather will inform their Scientific Opinion.
What is the process for working on this topic?
To ensure we deliver evidence of the highest standard in a transparent way, our work is guided by a set of principles and procedures which can be found in our Quality Assurance Guidelines.
We are following the steps below:
- Working group. We assemble an interdisciplinary working group of Europe’s top independent experts. For full details of how this process works, see How we find our experts.
- Systematic literature reviews. The working group’s work is informed by systematic literature reviews to identify relevant published scientific evidence, identify knowledge gaps and uncertainties and to reduce the risk of bias in the working group.
- Working group meetings. The working group meet regularly to prepare and discuss the content of the Evidence Review Report. The experts draft the report over the course of several months, supported by SAPEA staff.
- Collaboration with Advisors. The Advisors meet us regularly and participate as observers in working group meetings, while respecting the independence of SAPEA in drafting the report.
- Expert workshop. We organise a workshop to provide an initial critique on the first complete draft of the report. Workshop participants are experts in the topic, with applied knowledge in the field. The working group considers all of the feedback from the participants when finalising the report.
- Peer review. The report is reviewed by external academics in a double-blind peer review process. The peer reviewers are approved by the SAPEA board and the working group is required to address the comments they receive.
- Design and proofreading. The final version of the report is prepared for publication, including design, layout and proofreading for language errors.
- Endorsement. The report is sent to the SAPEA board for endorsement. Board members also receive a quality assurance checklist, a copy of all comments from peer reviewers, and an explanation of how the working group addressed the comments. Board members consult with individual academies in their networks before endorsing the report. There is also an automated plagiarism check.
- Handover. We hand over the final report to the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors.
- Publication and dissemination. We expect the report to be published in summer 2023, alongside the Advisors’ Scientific Opinion. We will make the report freely available, following principles of open access and open science, and communicate its contents widely.
How can I submit evidence?
We invite the submission of scientific evidence that addresses this topic. You can submit evidence by filling in the form below. The deadline for responses is 7 November 2022.
Before filling in the form, please read our additional guidance about calls for evidence. The working group will only consider evidence that meets our criteria.
Please fill in and send this form once for each piece of evidence you want to submit. Thank you for your interest in the SAPEA evidence review!
