Impact Insights : Reducing Risk for a Fair and Resilient Food System
With the launch of EIT Food’s Impact Funding Framework, dive into the detail of EIT Food’s mission Reducing Risk for a Fair and Resilient Food System with this fact sheet.
This fact sheet includes key takeaways and recommendations from EIT Food’s mission insight report, Reducing Risk for a Fair and Resilient Food System and has been designed to guide applications for EIT Food’s Open Call.
The four priority areas where EIT Food can have the most impact are:
- Resilient and sustainable farming practices
- Urban integration of food
- Radical transformation of the supply chain and new retail models
- Extended producer responsibility and true cost accounting
Two key enablers to these priority areas:
- Digitalisation of consumer communication and labelling to build trust
- Food insecurity indicators and framework development
Dive into the detail
Key findings
Resilient and sustainable farming practices
- Collaborative action along the food chain is required. Science needs to be connected to policy and practices with more interactive engagement between farmers and other stakeholders.
- Consumers need to be connected with rural communities and producers – consideration must be given to educating the next generation of farmers.
- Climate resilient farming practices may help overcome the risk posed for food safety, ensuring everyone has access to safe food – more resource efficient farming will reduce pressure on land and nature. Potential impact factors to consider: Soil health, biodiversity, water management based on hydrological context: increase water use effectively, reduce reliance on irrigation, 100% recycled water on farms.
Urban integration of food
- Creating areas where there is a local food chain created in the context of local supply logistics and where there are cooperative grocery shops that distribute the food. Moreover, the creation of a food council, which is a strategic partner for the implementation of policy activities is important.
- A key enabler of this opportunity is the creation of geo-maps of existing networks of linkages between consumers and producers in cities including capturing information on what role urban agriculture plays in the urban environment. Furthermore, education of citizens, and awareness of the food system from a young age, is strongly required.
Extended producer responsibility and true cost accounting
- Using sustainable packaging and labelling as an example, this opportunity places emphasis on the environmental impact of products.
- The availability of the right data enables partners in the value chain to address this topic.
- Requiring an LCA system that works fast, it places an emphasis on the environmental impact of products and can promote more resource efficient food production, helping to build the resilience and fairness of the food system.
- Government and policy makers would be required to mediate on this issue of price, sustainability and health impact of food.
Radical transformation of the supply chain and new retail models
- This idea focuses on the transformation of the retail model to prioritise retail of only sustainable products using sustainability indicators on food products, encompassing the sustainability of the food chain from form to fork.
- Improved transparency surrounding the sustainability of practices along the entire supply chain would be needed as well as a regulatory framework that only allows sustainable products to be commercialised – parameters of sustainability are therefore essential (local does not necessarily mean sustainable).
- Digital tools would allow consumers to assess the sustainability of the products that they buy.
- Education of actors within the value chain on how to transition to this system and business support would be needed.
Opportunities
Key indicators
- Access Availability
- Population health through diet
- Safety of food
Populations more at risk of experiencing these indicators
- Lower income households
- Minority groups & gender inequalities
- Primary producers
- Urban Populations
- Populations in Southern Regions
Key causes of food insecurity
- Climate Change
- Urbanisation
- Poverty and social inequality
- Scarcity of natural resources and land degradation
- Food safety issues
- Food distribution issues and supply chain ability to react to crises
- Overproduction and food waste
Factors contributing to food integrity
- Food product safety
- Food fraud mitigation
- Transparency from farm to fork
Consumer-industry relationships to build trust and public understanding in the food system
- Transparency of food supply chain
- Awareness of food production processes
- Clarity of food packaging labels and claims
- Trust in specific supply chain actors (farmers, manufacturers, retailers, authorities, policy-makers)
Key indicators | Populations more at risk of experiencing these indicators | Key causes of food insecurity | Factors contributing to food integrity | Consumer-industry relationships to build trust and public understanding in the food system |
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Enablers for change
- Support research and practical testing of climate resistant crops
- Support research and implementation of innovations in practice
- Technologies which:
- are friendly to energy consumption, friendly to environment and require low human work
- provide safe, clean, fresh water in order to effectively manage water resources and improve crop production and livestock raising
- improve the nutritional quality of food, in order to promote the health of populations
- prioritise long-term storage and preservation of safe food, to prolong the shelf life of food and reduce the risk of foodborne, illness or contamination.
- More accurate and speedy measurement of contaminants and adulterants in food products in order to ensure food safety and integrity.
Got an idea that will change food systems for the better?
We’ve launched a competitive, open Impact Funding Framework to promote ambitious, long-term collaboration that will lead to food systems change to benefit us all.