EU Dialogue during the UN Food Systems Summit pre-events

• Mr. Nigel Topping, High Level Champion for Climate Change at COP26 and Race to Zero 
• Ms. Elizabeth Mrema, Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity 
• H.E. Janusz Wojciechowski, Commissioner for Agriculture, European Commission
   
• H.E. Lord Zac Goldsmith, Minister for Pacific and the Environment at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), United Kingdom 
• Mr. Sun Tan, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences 
• Dr. Andrew Steer, President and CEO, The Bezos Earth Fund Ms. Florence Jeantet, Managing Director, One Planet Business for Biodiversity (OP2B)

27/07 Nutrition for growth and cohesion - how next generation school feeding programmes can support carbon farming and sustainable food system transformation. 

• AFFILIATED SESSION By FAO and European Commission

Related: 28 July 2021. SCHOOL MEALS COALITION

• By IFPRI, IISD, BMZ, GIZ, European Union (EU), Nigeria, Malawi

The 2021 UN Food Systems Summit is taking place in the context of the climate crisis and exacerbated global food insecurity resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. While the world is facing these challenges and a global response will be needed, developing countries—and in particular African countries—are dealing with an even more extreme situation. Their development dynamics and needs involve an increase in food consumption and production to address the nutritional requirements of their populations in an approach that also ensures the environmental sustainability and resilience of their agricultural practices. Based on developed country experience, there is no evidence that such a transition could be achieved by relying on market economic forces alone, especially if the social inclusiveness of the process has to be guaranteed. Therefore, policy pathways must be identified and implemented that favour synergies and limit trade-offs within the nexus between climate change, food systems, and nutrition.

• This session explained how we can influence consumption patterns through policy interventions that will lead to better environmental and nutritional outcomes in three countries—Malawi, Ethiopia, and Nigeria—in order to identify policy roadmaps to sustainable food system transformation. Specifically, by building on the Ceres2030 literature review and cost modelling exercise, this research supports analytical work to strengthen the evidence base for climate-smart nutrition interventions in the context of a sustainable food system. This aligns with the overarching transformative theme of the UN Food Systems Summit.
• The purpose of this parallel session was to present the results from the country case studies, together with country focal points from the three countries: the Office of the Vice President of Nigeria, the Ministry of Public Health in Malawi, and the Federal Ministry of Health in Ethiopia. We aim to develop joint ownership of the final recommendations and enhance the utilization of the research in the Food Systems Summit, dialogues, and long-term country-level strategies.
• Deep Dives Into the Nexus of Food Systems, Climate Change, and Nutrition in Malawi, Ethiopia, and Nigeria provided examples of how to develop a country-level roadmap for food systems transformation that could serve as a blueprint for other countries and that is based on the best available evidence, economic modelling, and a deep engagement with national-level stakeholders working together with experts.

Speakers:

• Francine Picard, Senior Policy Advisor and Partnerships Lead, IISD
• Carin Smaller, Director of Agriculture, Trade and Investment, IISD
• Dr. Andrew Kwasari, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agriculture, Office of the Vice President of Nigeria
• Christel Weller-Molongua, Director of Rural Development and Agriculture Division in the Global Department at GIZ
• Dr. Felix Phiri, Department of Nutrition, HIV and AIDS of the Ministry of Health in Malawi
• Willem Olthof, Deputy Head of Unit, DEVCO C1 - Rural Development, Food Security, Nutrition, European Commission

 

27/07 The EU Code of conduct on responsible food business and marketing practices

Collective engagement of food business operators, manufacturers, retailers and foodservice/hospitality sector in the transformation towards sustainable food systems: the example of the EU Code of conduct on responsible food business and marketing practices. 

• By Food Drink Europe, European Commission
• No recording available
• Related: 5 July 2021. High-level launch event on the Code of Conduct for Responsible Food Business and Marketing Practices

The European Commission has launched a Code of Conduct for responsible food business and marketing, with the aim of ‘improving the health of our citizens, our societies and the planet’.

On the occasion of the launch, a high level stakeholder event was being organised with a keynote address from the Commissioner for Health and Food Stella Kyriakides, as well as video messages from the Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans and Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton. The Code was presented by Dirk Jacobs, the Chair of the Task Force that developed the the Code of Conduct. This Code is an essential part of the efforts to increase the availability and affordability of healthy, sustainable food options that help reduce our overall environmental footprint. It has been developed with EU associations and companies, as well as international organisations, NGOs, trade unions and trade associations. Associations and companies in the food sector that sign the Code voluntarily commit to accelerate their contribution to a sustainable transition.

On the day of the launch of the Code, 65 signatories (26 food manufacturers, 15 food retailers, 1 from the food service sector, 23 associations) became the first pioneering companies and associations