EPHA and TMG Think Tank’s Roadmap for a European Food Policy Council: A Complementary Governance Framework is now out.
Europe’s food systems face mounting pressures and are a major driver of both non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and environmental degradation. At the same time, food systems hold significant potential to strengthen environmental, health, economic, and social resilience.
There is no single measure, law, or governance mechanism that can address the complexity and multi-level nature of food system transformation on its own. Food systems challenges are systemic and cross-sectoral, requiring new approaches to governance and policymaking; what Europe needs is governance innovation. One possible element of such governance innovation is a European Food Policy Council. By bringing together different forms of expertise, participation, and deliberation, it could help broaden participation, address power asymmetries, and better align policymaking with the public interest.
The roadmap examines key gaps in current EU agri-food governance, including limited deliberative quality, fragmented policymaking, and weak coordination across governance levels. It proposes a more coordinated configuration of existing and emerging governance mechanisms to improve deliberation, strengthen policy impact, and better align action across EU, national, and local levels. The roadmap outlines recommended steps for a range of actors, including EU decision-makers, civil society organisations, citizens, scientists, and local innovators such as local and national Food Policy Councils.
By connecting stakeholder dialogue, citizen participation, scientific expertise, and local implementation experience, the roadmap offers a practical contribution to the debate on how EU food governance can become more democratic, accountable, and fit for transformation.
Explore the key messages or read the full report here: