(Brussels, 8 December 2011) To further strengthen the sustainability of the food chain, progress was made in addressing resource efficiency and a sustainable food chain approach at the European Food Sustainable Consumption and Production Round Table (SCP RT) plenary meeting today. The plenary welcomed high level speakers from the European Commission, Deputy Director General Mr Alan Seatter (DG Environment) and Mr Eric Poudelet, Director (DG Health and Consumers), representatives from the Polish presidency, the French government, as well as a global perspective on sustainable consumption and production from United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Central to this year’s plenary was the adoption of the ‘Communicating environmental performance along the food chain’ report that followed a public stakeholder consultation.

The report identifies suitable tools and good practices for communicating the environmental performance of food and drink products and other relevant environmental information to help business and consumers to make informed choices and to foster more sustainable consumption and production patterns.

Communicating environmental information was found to be best achieved using a multifaceted approach and tools which help to raise awareness amongst consumers and food chain partners to environmental aspects of products and services. Increasing their familiarity and understanding of environmental performance will help inform purchase decisions and support more sustainable choices.

To further the objectives of the Round Table, it was also announced that the Food and Drink Environmental Assessment Protocol (ENVIFOOD Protocol) stakeholder consultation will be launched next year with the first final draft following early in 2012.

Speaking at the plenary event, Pascal Gréverath, Nestlé Assistant Vice-President Environmental Sustainability, Chair of FoodDrinkEurope Environmental Sustainability Committee, Co-Chair of the SCP RT Steering Committee together with the European Commission, welcomed the active collaboration amongst members and stakeholders to progress the work and objectives of SCP Round Table, ‘Today’s adoption of the report ‘Communicating environmental performance along the food chain’ marks an important step towards helping consumers make informed choices. Food chain partners continue to have a central role to play in further strengthening cooperation at European level in order to foster more sustainable consumption and production patterns’.  

FoodDrinkEurope, as a founding member of Round Table, will continue to play an active role in the work of the SCP RT. Actively working in partnership with our food chain partners and European policymakers to achieve the objectives of promoting a science-based, coherent life cycle approach to sustainable consumption and production in the food sector across Europe.

-ENDS-

Notes to the Editor:

Download a copy of the "Communicating environmental performance along the food chain" report, Working Group on Environmental Communication of the European Food Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) Round Table.

http://www.food-scp.eu/no de/26  

European Food Sustainable Consumption and Production Round Table

http://www.food-scp.eu/

For further information:

Lisa McCooey, Communications Director

Tel.: +32 2 514 11 11; Mob.: +32 476 911 300

l.mccooey@fooddrinkeurope.eu