The European Public Health and Agriculture Consortium, of which EPHA is a member, has strongly reacted to Commissioner Ciolos question on whether the CAP reform has delivered what civil society demanded of it: They have told him that “We are about to miss a huge opportunity to align European agriculture and food policy to meet the challenges of food for good health!”
“We are about to miss a huge opportunity to align European agriculture and food policy to meet the challenges of food for good health. The European Union faces a gigantic burden from chronic diseases many of which are food-related combined with climate change and food insecurity. It is imperative that the CAP delivers not just food but good, nutritious food. Ultimately, what European citizens want is quality food produced in a manner that doesn’t harm the environment and which contributes to the society at large”, stated Susanne Løgstrup, EPHAC chair.
According to EPHAC Press Release, the current debates on CAP are alarming and focus primarily on increasing productivity and competitiveness of the agro-food industry to meet the needs of a growing population.
EPHAC reminds the European Commission that producing more will not solve the challenges of food security: “We must constantly remind ourselves that simply producing more, will not solve the issues of food security. 1 billion people go to bed hungry and 1.4 billion are overweight or obese. If this is what the free interplay of markets, agriculture policy and globalisation have delivered, then it has failed us miserably.” Said Robert Pederson, Senior Policy Advisor EPHAC.
– ’Our food systems are making people sick’ states UN rapporteur
