What's Happening?
A coalition of over 90 organizations, representing various sectors of the food system including farmers, manufacturers, retailers, public health groups, and consumer groups, has launched the EU Policy Action Brief. This brief, inspired by the science
of the 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission, aims to provide practical policy recommendations for EU leaders to build a healthy, sustainable, and just food system. The initiative highlights the growing pressures on Europe's food system, such as diet-related diseases, rising healthcare costs, economic strain on farmers, climate change impacts, increasing food prices, and import dependencies. The coalition emphasizes that while communities are ready to act, they require coherent, aligned, and cross-sectoral EU policy action, including incentives, removal of structural barriers, enabling standards, coherent rules, public investment, and institutional legitimacy. The policy brief focuses on three key areas: Sustainable Production, Healthy Consumption (guided by the Planetary Health Diet), and Reduced Food Waste and Loss.
Why It's Important?
This policy action brief is important because it represents a unified call from a diverse coalition of stakeholders for comprehensive policy changes within the European Union's food system. The current pressures, including health crises, economic instability for farmers, and environmental degradation, underscore the urgent need for systemic transformation. By translating scientific evidence from the EAT-Lancet Commission into actionable policy recommendations, the coalition provides a roadmap for EU leaders to address these multifaceted challenges. The emphasis on coherent, cross-sectoral policy action highlights the interconnectedness of food production, consumption, and waste, and the necessity of a holistic approach. This initiative could significantly influence EU agricultural and health policies, potentially leading to improved public health outcomes, greater economic resilience for farmers, and a more sustainable environmental footprint across the continent. The broad consensus among 90+ organizations signals a strong mandate for political leadership to prioritize food system reform.
What's Next?
The coalition is calling on EU institutions to establish an EU Action Plan for a healthy, sustainable, and just food system. This plan would involve active participation from scientists and food system communities in its design, implementation, and evaluation. The policy brief outlines six critical policy packages for action, including value chain development, fiscal and economic support, public procurement, information and transparency, research and innovation, and trade and market rules. These recommendations aim to guide policymakers in creating an enabling environment for farmers, businesses, public institutions, and consumers to make healthier and more sustainable choices. The next steps will involve advocacy efforts by the coalition to engage with EU policymakers, encouraging them to adopt and implement these recommendations into concrete legislative and programmatic actions, ultimately shaping the future of the EU's food system.
Beyond the Headlines
The launch of this policy brief reflects a deeper societal shift towards recognizing the profound impact of food systems on public health, economic stability, and environmental sustainability. It underscores the growing demand for evidence-based policymaking that integrates scientific insights with practical, multi-stakeholder perspectives. The EAT-Lancet Commission's scientific vision, which underpins this brief, promotes a 'Planetary Health Diet' that aims to optimize human health and environmental sustainability simultaneously. This initiative challenges traditional agricultural and food industry models, advocating for a more regenerative and equitable approach. The broad coalition demonstrates a collective understanding that addressing complex global challenges like climate change and diet-related diseases requires systemic solutions that transcend individual sectors and national borders, fostering a more integrated and responsible approach to food production and consumption.
