Food is at the beating heart of European life. Indeed, if there’s one thing that brings Europeans together, it’s food.

However, the way we produce and consume food today is making us sick and wrecking our planet.

One third of EU greenhouse gas emissions come from our food systems, exacerbating a climate crisis that is already having a devastating effect on food production in Europe and beyond. On top of this, millions of people struggle to access healthy food and suffer from diet-related diseases, causing huge social and health costs.

These issues are complex and interconnected, but can be solved with some imagination, courage, and good governance. The forthcoming EU Sustainable Food Systems Law is a crucial opportunity to steer our food systems away from this destructive and self-defeating spiral towards a nature- and people-friendly model that upholds long-term food security, revives ecosystems, supports a just transition for all agri-food workers, and provides healthy and affordable food for all.

We look forward to seeing as many of you there as possible!

Agenda:

The event is hosted and moderated by Natasha Foote, Agrifood Reporter at EURACTIV

15:00 - Welcome

Patrick ten Brink, EEB, Secretary General

15:10 - Keynote

Stella Kyriakides, EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety

15:30 - Imagining a circular food system within planetary boundaries

Professor Imke de Boer, WUR, Professor Livestock & Sustainable Food Systems

Tim Forslund, Circular Economy Specialist, Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra

Camille Perrin, BEUC, Senior Food Policy Officer

16:15 - Coffee break

16:30 - The Sustainable Food Systems Law as a critical juncture

Alexandra Nikolakopolou, Head of Unit, Farm to Fork strategy, DG SANTE, European Commission

Professor Olivier de Schutter, co-chair of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food

Célia Nyssens, EEB, Senior Policy Officer for Agriculture and Food Systems

17:30 - The Scottish Good Food Nation Act: Keynote & comments

Mairi Gougeon, Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands

Pete Ritchie, Nourish Scotland, Executive Director

18:00 - Networking drinks

19:00 - Close

À Table! Perspectives on the Sustainable Food Systems Law