More responsible business and marketing practices in food supply chains

On 5 July the EU published the EU Code of Conduct on Responsible Food Business and Marketing Practices. One of the major milestones and most important deliverables of the EU Farm to Fork Strategy, this framework sets out actions that actors ‘between the farm and the fork’, such as food processors, food service operators and retailers, can voluntarily commit to in order to improve and communicate their sustainability performance. Some of these actions can be implemented directly by actors in the value chain, while others can help to encourage collaboration with industry peers and other food system stakeholders (such as farmers and consumers), so that they make similar changes.

The EU Code of Conduct on Responsible Food Business and Marketing Practices contains a set of seven aspirational objectives as voluntary commitments for action, together with a monitoring and evaluation framework to measure progress. The Commission will consider legislative measures if progress is inadequate. The process to develop the Code of Conduct started in December 2020 and lasted until July 2021.