To help consumers to make healthier food choices, the European Commission wants producers of foods and drinks to display clear nutritional information on the front-of-pack. But this may not be so simple… Some Member States have already introduced their own labelling schemes to mark “healthy” products but will the EU win the battle at European scale?

EPRS policy podcast - Nutrition labelling schemes used in Member States

While commonly consumed in many parts of the world, insects have long been off the menu in Europe…but they could soon be creeping their way onto our plates! With Europe’s focus shifting towards a more sustainable agri-food sector, entomophagy, the practice of eating insects, is now gaining serious interest… But are Europeans ready for an insect-based diet?

EPRS STOA podcast - What if insects were on the menu in Europe?

Launched on 20 May 2020, the 'Farm to Fork' strategy put forward the EU’s ambition for making its food system a model of sustainability at all stages of the food value chain.

This strategy is at the heart of the Green Deal. It addresses comprehensively the challenges of sustainable food systems and recognises the inextricable links between healthy people, healthy societies and a healthy planet. Ensuring a sustainable livelihood for primary producers, who still lag behind in terms of income, is essential for the success of the recovery and the transition.

The Farm to Fork strategy aims to accelerate our transition to a sustainable food system that should have neutral and positive environmental impact, help mitigate climate change and adapt to its impact. It should also reverse the loss of biodiversity, ensure food security, nutrition and public health, making sure that everyone has access to sufficient, safe nutritious, sustainable food, preserve affordability of food while generating fairer economic returns, fostering competitivness of the EU supply sector and promoting fair trade.

A shift to a sustainable food system can bring environmental, health and social benefits, offer economic gains and ensure that the recovery from the crisis puts us onto a sustainable path.

Farm to fork

Launched in 1962, the EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP) is a partnership between agriculture and society, and between Europe and its farmers. It aims to: support farmers and improve agricultural productivity, ensuring a stable supply of affordable food; safeguard European Union farmers to make a reasonable living; help tackle climate change and the sustainable management of natural resources; maintain rural areas and landscapes across the EU; keep the rural economy alive by promoting jobs in farming, agri-food industries and associated sectors.

The CAP is a common policy for all EU countries. It is managed and funded at European level from the resources of the EU’s budget. CAP 2023-27 To consolidate the role of European agriculture for the future, the CAP has evolved over the years to meet changing economic circumstances and citizens’ requirements and needs.

The CAP 2023-27 entered into force on 1 January 2023.&nbsp;Support for farmers and rural stakeholders across the 27 EU countries is based on the CAP 2023-27 legal framework and the choices detailed in the&nbsp;CAP Strategic Plans, approved by the Commission. The approved Plans are designed to make a significant contribution to the ambitions of the&nbsp;European Green Deal,&nbsp;Farm to Fork Strategy&nbsp;and&nbsp;Biodiversity Strategy.

Common agricultural policy (CAP)

GMO stands for genetically modified organisms. They are organisms whose genetic material has been artificially modified in order to give it a new property. For example, this could be to make it easier for a plant to resist a disease, insects or drought, or to increase crop productivity.

The EU's GMO legislation stems from 1990 when the first two directives concerning GMOs came into force. Both original directives have since been updated, but the definition of a GMO has remained unchanged. This is causing problems for new techniques developed since then. New plant genetic modification techniques, referred to as 'gene editing' or 'genome editing', have evolved rapidly in recent years, allowing much faster and more precise results than conventional plant-breeding techniques. They are seen as a promising, innovative field for the agri-food industry, offering great technical potential.There is, however, considerable debate as to how these new techniques should be regulated, and whether some or all of them should fall within the scope of EU legislation on genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

See more on this topic by visiting our <a href="https://multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/en/genetically-modified-organism-8th-parliamentary-term_6504_pk">package</a> for the 8th parliamentary term.

Genetically modified organism

The common agricultural policy (CAP) is one of the oldest common policies in the EU. Its significance is reflected in the proportion of the EU's budget devoted to it, representing approximately 40% of the total. Developed at a time when Europe was unable to meet most of its own food needs, it was necessary to encourage farmers to produce food by means of guaranteed prices. The policy has undergone regular reform and has evolved over the years.

As part of the preparation of the EU budget for 2021-2027, the European Commission put forward a new set of regulations to shape the future CAP on 1 June 2018. The proposal for a regulation on the financing, management and monitoring of the CAP provides the legislative framework for adapting the financing, management and monitoring rules to a new CAP delivery model.

See more on this topic by visiting our <a href="https://multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/en/common-agricultural-policy-8th-parliamentary-term_6503_pk">package</a> for the 8th parliamentary term.

Common agricultural policy (2019-2020)

Breakfast directive - Illustration

Breakfast directive - illustration

Press conference - Electricity interconnection European project in the Gulf of Biscay, Basque Country

EP Press conference - Phosphate additives in kebab meat

Donner restaurant in Brussels.

Meeting about lower sugar manufactured and prepared foods - Sugar wise

EP Plenary session - Voting session (part 1) incl. packaging waste and air quality

During the plenary session, MEPs debate and vote the position of the Parliament for negotiations with EU countries on EU rules on new genomic techniques to make our food system more sustainable and resilient.

New genomic techniques: statement by Jessica POLFJÄRD (EPP, SE), extracts from the debate and votes

MEPs debate the position of the Parliament for negotiations with EU countries on EU rules on new genomic techniques to make our food system more sustainable and resilient. Opening statements by Jessica POLFJÄRD (EPP, SE), Veronika VRECIONOVÁ (ECR, CZ) on behalf of AGRI Committee and Helena DALLI, European Commissioner for Equality. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Plants obtained by certain genomic techniques and their food and feed: opening statements by Jessica POLFJÄRD (EPP, SE), Veronika VRECIONOVÁ (ECR, CZ) on behalf of AGRI Committee and Helena DALLI, European Commissioner for Equality

Question Time to Commission - Food price inflation in Europe. Q & A (part 2)

Question Time to Commission - Food price inflation in Europe: Question & Answers (part 2) with Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI, European Commissioner for Agriculture

Food prices in the EU have risen dramatically over the past two years. The chain of disruptions caused by the COVID 19 pandemic, extreme weather events and the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 have led to severe shortages in the agri-food chain, resulting in higher consumer prices. The latest European Parliament Eurobarometer survey shows that the cost of living continues to be the main concern for European citizens. Restrictions: ©The material may not be edited and must be shown entirely.

EPRS - Rising food prices

A delegation from the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, led by Chair Norbert Lins, travels to the Polish-Ukrainian border.The capacity for storing agricultural products is the subject of an exchange of views between MEPs and Ukrainian business and trade representatives.

AGRI Delegation to the Polish-Ukrainian Border: meeting with Ukrainian and Polish stakeholders

Norbert LINS (EPP, DE), Chair of the EP Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development debriefs with the press the travel of the delegation to the Polish-Ukrainian border on 20-21 June 2022. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Press conference by Norbert LINS (EPP, DE), Chair of the EP Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development on the visit of an AGRI Delegation to the Polish-Ukrainian Border

A delegation from the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, led by Chair Norbert Lins, willtravel to the Polish-Ukrainian border. MEPs visits the Medyka (rail) and Korczowa (road) border crossings to assess the import of Ukrainian agricultural commodities and the potential for alternative routes. - Norbert LINS (EPP, DE), Chair; Herbert DORFMANN (EPP, IT); Juozas OLEKAS (S&D, LT); Ulrike MÜLLER (Renew, DE); Tilly METZ (Greens/EFA, FR); Veronika VRECIONOVA (ECR, CS)

food safety (T)

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