EEA EFTA Comment on the Farm to Fork Strategy

Source: https://ec.europa.eu/food/farm2fork_en

On 4 March 2021, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway submitted a joint EEA EFTA Comment on the Farm to Fork Strategy for a fair, healthy, and environmentally friendly food system.

The EEA EFTA States welcome the Farm to Fork strategy and acknowledge that the Strategy is at the heart of the European Green Deal. They recognise that it comprehensively addresses the challenges of sustainable food systems and recognises the links between food systems, healthy people, healthy societies, and a healthy planet.

 The Farm to Fork Strategy also aims to contribute to the implementation of the United Nations Agenda 2030 with its Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the goals set out in the Convention on Biological Diversity. The EEA EFTA States are dedicated to join the EU in promoting the global transition to sustainable food systems. This includes cooperation to promote safe food, reduced carbon and environmental footprints, animal welfare and the fight against antimicrobial resistance.

The EEA EFTA States support the development of sustainable food systems and welcome the Commission’s intention to propose a legislative initiative setting out a framework for a sustainable food system. As Parties to the EEA Agreement the EEA EFTA States remain dedicated to continue as constructive partners in the regulatory processes for relevant legislative initiatives under the Farm to Fork Strategy. They look forward to the deliberations on the respective proposals.

The EEA EFTA States emphasise the need to maintain a high level of food safety and support further actions that strengthen the food safety system and combat food fraud at all stages from farm to fork. The EEA EFTA States also concur on the importance of improving information to consumers to promote healthy and sustainable diets.

The EEA EFTA States also welcome that the Farm to Fork Strategy highlights research and innovation as a means of achieving sustainable food systems. This includes green and digital innovations and biotechnology, which could contribute to a wide-scale change of food production practices.

Read the full text of the EEA EFTA Comment here.

A full list of EEA EFTA Comments is available here.