Sustainability of the European Food System

EU policy makers should recognise and acknowledge the key contribution of the many ingredients of the EU starch industry both to EU consumers’ diets, and to food system sustainability more broadly. From essential carbohydrates, through sugars and low-calorie sweeteners, to plant-based proteins and fibres, starch producers deliver safe, high-quality, and essential ingredients which contribute to a more balanced, nutritional and innovative diet for EU consumers. Policy makers should avoid misinformation or ambiguous messaging in their communication, and EU legislation and communication should remain soundly grounded in robust science, conducive to innovation, and supportive of the introduction of innovative ingredients and technologies.

An ambitious EU Protein Strategy should be developed and implemented, hand-in-hand with this Framework (FSFS). This must help fully realise the potential of EU-grown plant proteins, if we hope to not only offer better variety and diversity of proteins in our diets as a source of increased sustainability, but simultaneously increase the resilience of the food system, including through a rules-based international trade system, to strengthen food security.

While the starch sector, like other actors in the Agrifood chain have shown incredible resilience, continuing to produce and supply food & drink to EU consumers even the through recent crises, the strain on our sector has been heavy. It is important that measures continue to be taken to guarantee our competitiveness and protect the EU agrifood chain from international competitors who do not suffer the same constraints, thereby better levelling the playing field.

The EU Farm to Fork strategy has set extremely ambitious sustainability targets, but has, thus far, not always matched these targets with either the policy support or financial support needed for their implementation. Support to innovation will be key to giving both EU farmers and primary food processors, like starch producers, the necessary tools to help them achieve the sustainability and decarbonisation targets which have been set, and the overall transition to a more sustainable food system. On top of existing financial support linked to, inter alia, the EU Bioeconomy Strategy and EU Green Deal Industrial Plan, this could include a dedicated EU Food Investment and Resilience Plan to help our industries manage, and invest for, this transition.