EU policies do not favour sustainable production or consumption

illuminem summarizes for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) website or enjoy below

🗞️ Driving the news: A new WWF report focuses on government policy effects on food costs, finding that EU policies promote meat overconsumption and neglect sustainable food
• The report zeroes in on five countries - France, Belgium, and Sweden - and underscores their ongoing support for policies detrimental to the adoption of sustainable food practices among the populace

🔭 The context: The EU's ongoing food security debate emphasizes voluntary coupled support and the EU fixed price mechanism within the Common Agricultural Policy
• The debate revolves around how these tools don’t offer equal protection across healthy and unhealthy products

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Ignoring sustainable food policies and the current unequal food protections exacerbates healthy food accessibility challenges amid inflation and stagnant wages
• Many households, caught in an economic downturn and cost-of-living crisis, can't afford even basic nutrition, compounded by a transparency deficit in food retailer data

⏭️ What’s next: The EU Sustainable Food Law, slated for a late September reveal, aspires to enhance sustainable food access
• Yet, its rollout remains uncertain, as per recent media buzz, stressing the need for holistic contributions from food stakeholders and finishing the inceptive transition processes

💬 One quote: “Dropping the EU Sustainable Food Systems Law would be a grave error. Faced with droughts and heatwaves, it's futile to just invest in damage control.” (Giulia Riedo, WWF European Policy Office)

📈 One stat: Amidst 2022's soaring inflation, many EU nations saw zero wage growth, limiting households from accessing a calorie-sufficient diet

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