SCIENCE ADVICE FOR POLICY
BY EUROPEAN ACADEMIES

Towards sustainable food consumption

For Europe to achieve its health and sustainability goals, the way we produce and consume food has to change. Our current food system has a major impact on the environment, and poor quality diets are also linked to risk of disease, obesity and overweight — which affects around 60% of adults and 30% of children in European countries.

To address these issues, our diets need to shift towards more plant-based ingredients, rich in vegetables, fruits, wholegrains and pulses. Our diets should be limited in red meat, processed meat, salt, added sugar, and high-fat animal products, while fish and seafood should be sourced from sustainably managed stocks.

Until now, the main policy focus in the EU has been on providing consumers with more information. But this is not enough. People choose food not just through rational reflection, but also based on many other factors: food availability, habits and routines, emotional and impulsive reactions, and their financial and social situation.

So we should consider ways to unburden the consumer and make sustainable, healthy food an easy and affordable choice. That will require a mix of incentives, information and binding policies governing all aspects of food production and distribution. Policies should address the whole food environment, anywhere where food is obtained, eaten, and discussed. The EU’s food environment is diverse, including shops, restaurants, homes, schools and workplaces, as well as informal settings such as home-grown food. Increasingly, it also includes digital media.

The evidence points in particular to five key elements:

Some of these policies imply longer-term and more transformational changes than others – but the need to begin making changes is urgent. Achieving this is not just about implementing new policies, but also removing or changing existing policies that divert from our goals, such as subsidies for unhealthy or unsustainable food production.

It will be critical to create an environment that allows all stakeholders to work towards the goal of healthy and sustainable food, following fair rules. This approach may also help to overcome opposition from those who profit from the current system, including some large private sector organisations with powerful voices.

If we involve everyone, we can dramatically improve our diets and make the European food system more sustainable.

Recommendations from the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors

Working group members

Professor
University of Southampton, UK
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Professor
University of Oslo, Norway
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Professor
Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV, Germany
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Professor
University of Copenhagen, Denmark
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Assistant Professor
University of Pisa, Italy
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Professor
Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Germany
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Associate Professor
Copenhagen Business School, Denmark
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Senior researcher
Czech Academy of Sciences
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Professor
Technical University Berlin, Germany
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Professor
Technical University Munich, Germany
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Researcher
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
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Professor
University of St Gallen, Switzerland
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Professor Emeritus
Academy of Athens Centre for Public Health Research and Education, Greece
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Senior research fellow
Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
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Professor
University of Groningen, Netherlands
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Policy impact

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Events

Life Cycle Management conference
Science-driven solutions for sustainable food
This joint European Research Council (ERC) and the European Parliament’s Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) event will address the critical role of curiosity-driven, frontier research in solving practical challenges in sustainable food production and consumption. ERC-funded researchers will discuss consumer behaviour, greener production processes and the impact on health, food security and trade, together with members of the European Parliament and other prominent speakers.
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Euro-CASE Annual Conference Madrid
The 2023 Euro-CASE Annual Conference will explore both the development of engineering solutions and the enablers, barriers and practicalities of technology deployment. Discussions will highlight how engineers can play a valuable role in guiding decision makers on how to make the best use of technological progress in order to solve complex transitional problems with many interdependencies.
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The Political Economy of Meat System Transformation
Who decides what you eat? The power of food environments on consumer diets
Evidence increasingly shows the way we farm and eat has a big impact on the planet, public health, animal welfare and more. Shifting to healthier and more plant-based diets with ‘less and better’ animal products can be beneficial on many counts. You will also have the opportunity to hear from experts on how they can be used to influence consumer behaviours and shape our food systems for the better.
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EIT FOOD Annual event
Creating healthy, sustainable food environments involves implementing policies to reshape incentives across the food chain, regulatory efforts, new business models for both in and out of home eating. How can we together reshape food environments to long term consumer shifts in diets?
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News

28 June 2023: Consumers shouldn’t be the only ones responsible for the shift to sustainable food consumption, say Europe’s science advisors
A group of top scientists from across Europe have advised the European Commission on how to transform European food consumption to become healthier and more sustainable. The advice comes in response to a request from the College of Commissioners to the Scientific Advice Mechanism to inform the revision of the Farm to Fork strategy. The recommendations were handed over to Commissioner Vestager this morning in Brussels. They are addressing key policy areas, including pricing, availability, composition, and the social and digital environments that influence which foods people consume. While the EU has mainly focused on providing consumers with more information, experts agree that this is not enough. People choose food based on many factors. To make sustainable, healthy food an easy and affordable choice, policies must unburden the consumer and address the whole food environment, anywhere where food is obtained, eaten, and discussed. “In order for Europe to achieve its health and sustainability...
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Academic impact

Media coverage

14 September 2023: Social Europe
Europe’s food systems—long past their expiry date
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14 September 2023: EU Science Media Hub
‘Heavy red meat eaters could be CO2-taxed in the future’
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25 August 2023: Suddeutsche Zeitung
Mehr Nachhaltiges in den Einkaufskorb
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25 August 2023: academies.fi
SAPEA report: Transforming food consumption for a healthier and more sustainable Europe
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25 July 2023: elika
Hacia un consumo sostenible de alimentos
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25 July 2023: Harden's
Why nutrition plays a key role in the sustainable diet we need
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25 July 2023: cibum.gr
Ισχυρή σύσταση της SAPEA στην ΕΕ για μείωση της κατανάλωσης κρέατος
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25 July 2023: Cultura Vegana
Asesores científicos de la UE piden promover las dietas basadas en plantas
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25 July 2023: the Sustainable Restaurant Association
FEEDING PEOPLE WELL: WHY CHILDREN'S MENUS HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY IN SUSTAINABILITY
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25 July 2023: Vegan Food and Living
People should ‘eat as little animal products as possible’ to fight climate change, scientists tell European Commission
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25 July 2023: foodpaths.eu
Towards sustainable food consumption
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06 July 2023: DocDech
Werbeverbot für Chips und Schokoriegel?
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06 July 2023: vegconomist.com
Scientists Say Europeans Must Eat “As Little Animal Products as Possible”
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06 July 2023: ProVeg
“Eat as little animal products as possible” scientists tell European Commission
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05 July 2023: zps.si
Iluzija izbire: Nekdo se je za vas odločil, kaj boste jedli za kosilo
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05 July 2023: univadis.com
Healthy Plates, Healthy Planet: Revolutionising Food Environments in Europe
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05 July 2023: foodnewslatam.com
"Coma la menor cantidad posible de productos animales", dicen los científicos a la Comisión Europea
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05 July 2023: akademia.ee
EUROOPA TEADUSNÕUSTAJAD: ÜLEMINEKU EEST JÄTKUSUUTLIKULE TOIDUTARBIMISELE EI PEAKS VASTUTAMA VAID TARBIJAD
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05 July 2023: Independent.ie
‘Raise tax on red meat and make plant-based alternatives mandatory’ – leading scientists advise EU Commission
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05 July 2023: eurocoop
The EU SAM Released Policy Recommendations on Sustainable Food Consumption.
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04 July 2023: Euractiv
Commission aims for ‘paradigm shift’ with upcoming food systems law
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30 June 2023: Euractiv
Agrifood Brief: What does a kilo of oranges cost?
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30 June 2023: mdr.de
Fleisch und Zucker: Politische Maßnahmen sind gut, Siegel eher nicht so
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30 June 2023: foodholland.nl
Europese wetenschappers bepleiten gezondere en duurzamere voedselconsumptie
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30 June 2023: biopress.de
Ernährung in der EU: Report empfiehlt politische Maßnahmen
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30 June 2023: ecoticias.com
¿Quién decide lo que tú comes?
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29 June 2023: Time News
European expertise recommends strong measures
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29 June 2023: guetsel.de
Nutrition in the EU: »Don't shift responsibility to the people!«, Technical University of Berlin
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29 June 2023: reussir.fr
Une étude européenne propose de surtaxer la viande et le sucre
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29 June 2023: European Vegetarian Union
EU Science Advisors call on Commission to promote plant-based diets
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29 June 2023: Science Business
Use policy to make sustainable food choice easy, scientists tell Commission
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29 June 2023: knaw.nl
New SAPEA report ''Towards Sustainable Food Consumption"
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29 June 2023: bas.bg
Consumers should not be the only ones responsible for the transition to sustainable food consumption, advises academies
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29 June 2023: rug.nl
Jenny van Doorn among the top European scientists that advised the EU Commission on the transition to healthier & more sustainable food consumption
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29 June 2023: Le Monde
Alimentation saine et durable : une expertise européenne préconise des mesures fortes
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29 June 2023: La Vanguardia
CECU insta a la Comisión Europea a publicar su propuesta legislativa sobre sistemas alimentarios sostenibles
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29 June 2023: era portal Austria
Scientific Advice Mechanism releases evidence review report and policy recommendations on sustainable food consumption
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29 June 2023: infosalus.es
CECU insiste en que las decisiones dietéticas están influenciadas por "el marketing de la industria alimentaria"
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29 June 2023: insider.gr
20:00ΕΚΠΟΙΖΩ: Η ΕΕ να λάβει μέτρα ώστε η υγιεινή διατροφή των καταναλωτών να προστατεύει το περιβάλλον
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29 June 2023: newsbeats.gr & newsbase
ΕΚΠΟΙΖΩ: Η ΕΕ να υιοθετήσει μείγμα μέτρων ώστε η υγιεινή διατροφή των καταναλωτών να προστατεύει το περιβάλλον
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29 June 2023: Palo.gr
ΕΚΠΟΙΖΩ: Η ΕΕ να υιοθετήσει μείγμα μέτρων ώστε η υγιεινή διατροφή των καταναλωτών να προστατεύει το περιβάλλον
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28 June 2023: dikaiologika.gr
How and why food choices are greatly affected
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28 June 2023: Eurogroup for Animals
New evidence shows consumers' diets heavily influenced by food sector
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28 June 2023: epixerio.gr
Γιατί και πώς οι διατροφικές επιλογές μας επηρεάζονται σε μεγάλο βαθμό
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28 June 2023: Sciensano.be
‘Consumenten mogen niet als enigen verantwoordelijk zijn voor de verschuiving naar duurzame voedselconsumptie’
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28 June 2023: EPHA.org
New evidence shows consumers’ diets heavily influenced by food sector
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