Europe is well known across the world for developing, preserving and exporting the value and the culture of good and healthy food. European food is a benchmark at a global level for its safe, nutritious and high-quality standards. It is time for Europe to become a global reference for sustainability and environment friendly products too. The Farm to Fork Strategy (F2F), at the heart of the EU Green Deal, relies on the need for fair transactions, with the ultimate goal of producing healthy and sustainable diets that will benefit consumers’ health and reduce health-related costs for society. This is also our goal and the positive outcome of the joint vote in the environment and agriculture committees today shows our commitment to making the F2F Strategy the pillar for all citizens and operators across the whole value chains. A pole star for a healthier and more sustainable Europe.

S&D vice-president and spokesperson for the environment committee, Biljana Borzan MEP, said:

“We need to rethink and change the way we produce and consume food, as now we are literally eating the future of our children and grandchildren. Water, soil, seas and ecosystems are warning us they are at a breaking point – and we are listening. Our Group supports a holistic approach to the necessary changes in the food production sector, at a pace that will leave no one behind. Our priority is for everyone to profit from the reforms: consumers with healthy high-quality food, farmers with fair remuneration and protection from unfair competition, and the environment with less pressure from agriculture.”

The S&D spokesperson for the agriculture committee, Clara Aguilera MEP, added:

“We are satisfied with the result obtained in this report. EU farmers have been making changes, especially during the last year, to adapt their production methods to environmental requirements, but further progress is needed. On this path, they must be supported by the EU to complete, together with the other links in the value chain, the transition towards the demands of the Green Deal and to achieve a high-quality, healthy and sustainable food environment for all EU citizens. The new approach to food policy will propose changes in the labelling of food, such as origin or nutritional information, by directing the consumer to healthier choices, including other societal demands such as animal welfare. In this context and in order to achieve these objectives, innovation will play a key role in all areas related to this strategy.”