FEAST Policy Chat 02

Following the Draghi report, the EU seems to have found a clear direction for the coming years: increasing the competitiveness of the continent to counteract the “slow agony” of this continent compared to non-European competitors. This paradigm has quickly become a mantra of EU institutions, who fully embraced the message that Europe must become more economically productive and bridge the gap with the US and China in terms of productivity growth if it wants to continue existing.

While this competitiveness framework partly considers environmental sustainability with a focus on decarbonisation, health - conceived as one health - has been neglected or at best considered as a means to achieve higher productivity.

Among those working on food system policies, several voices are not enthusiastic about this new direction of the EU institutions. In a historical moment when climate change is no longer a distant threat in the future, but a daily occurrence in many people’s lives, and when food systems have a clear impact on human and environmental health, one may dare to ask if such a narrow focus on productivity growth is the right way forward.

For those who dare to ask, the follow up question is then what kind of alternative to this dominant ideology can we implement?

Speakers:

• Molly Anderson, Professor of Food Studies at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont, USA and a member of the International Panel of Experts in Sustainable Food Systems
• Tim Lang, Professor Emeritus of Food Policy, Centre for Food Policy, City University of London
• Anant Jani, Researcher Heidelberg University, Oxford University
  
  Don’t miss this opportunity to delve into one of the most important discussions shaping the future of the EU food system. While the webinar won’t resolve all issues in two hours, it aims to provide invaluable insights and inspire meaningful dialogue.

Visit our project website to read more about the event: www.feast2030.eu