FAO joins panel discussion on the Power of Food Environments on Consumer Diets

"Consumers need clear and correct information on what it means to eat a healthy diet from sustainable agrifood systems" said Lynnette Neufeld, Director of the FAO Food and Nutrition Division during a panel discussion at the event "Who decides what you eat? The power of food environments on consumer diets" jointly organized by the civil society groups European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) and Eurogroup for Animals. 

The event aimed to nurture the debate around the upcoming European Commission Proposal for the Legislative Framework for Sustainable Food Systems, expected for October 2023. DG SANTE’s Deputy Director-General Claire Bury provided the state-of-play in her keynote address Director Neufeld stressed the need to look at the drivers of the inexpensive unhealthy foods, such as the long-standing agricultural incentives for maize and other cereals. Moreover, she said that Food Based Dietary Guidelines – i.e. national guidelines of what constitutes a healthy dietary pattern - should inform the process of agrifood systems transformation. She added that governments needed to align their agricultural and trade policies to deliver on these guidelines that can enable consumers to choose a healthy diet from sustainable agrifood systems. 

Other panellists included decision-makers from the European Commission and European Parliament as well as the private sector and consumer representatives. 

You can learn more about FAO’s work on nutrition here.