One of the key policy objectives of the incoming European Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, and Commissioner for Health, Stella Kyriakidou, is the development of a new EU “Farm to Fork” strategy, which aims to deliver “sustainable food systems” by 2030.

Included in this massive objective, is the delivery of sufficient, safe and affordable food, while also stimulating dietary changes beneficial for health, ensuring low carbon, healthy ecosystems and fostering inclusive growth, particularly in rural areas.

While the strategy has yet to be unveiled, and is not expected to be so until Spring 2020, certain elements are coming to light, including expected targets aimed at:

• Shifting towards a higher consumption of fruit, vegetables and plant-based proteins and reducing meat and dairy consumption
• Food reformulation (lower sugar, salt and fat content) for health benefits
• Reducing pesticide and nutrient use and increasing organic production
• Reduction of food losses and food waste
• Halving the income gap for farmers
• Encouraging more young people to enter farming
• Achieving 100% Rural Broadband coverage

This strategy is part of the wider Commission flagship initiative on climate change mitigation and environmental protection called the “European Green Deal”, which will include new legislation to meet the EU’s 2050 Climate Neutrality target as well as a strategy on the protection of Biodiversity, the development of the circular economy, and the development of rural areas across the EU.

Alison Graham – European Affairs Executive