The European Union (EU) has committed to supporting the global transition to more sustainable food systems. As the world's largest food importer, the EU can use its trade policies and agreements to stimulate and incentivize more sustainable practices by its trade partners. This brief drafted by the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) and the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food), provides specific recommendations on how the EU can do so. Building on lessons from existing initiatives, the EU might adopt sector-specific regulations and sustainability standards to promote sustainable food imports and restrict the meaning of illegally or unsustainably manufactured products. A significant change is possible if the EU addresses sustainable food systems as an explicit objective of its free trade agreements and negotiating relevant sustainability measures in these agreements, and monitoring these policies' impact on food systems.