The Sustainable Food System (SFS) framework initiative is one of the main actions of the Farm to Fork strategy under the European Green Deal. Its aim is to incorporate the principles of sustainable development into all aspects of food-related policies.
The adoption by the European Commission of the proposal on the SFS legal framework was announced to take place at the end of 2023, then the proposal will be forwarded to the European Council and the European Parliament. It will take from one to two years for the EU authorities to develop a joint proposal for legislation.
The initiative aims to develop a horizontal legal framework for a sustainable food system and set out general principles, objectives and obligations for participants of the EU food system, including guidelines for labeling products sourced from sustainable farming and animal husbandry.
The future legislative framework aims to raise the profile of sustainability throughout the agri-food chain, accelerate the transition to more sustainable food systems and ultimately ensure that all food placed on the European Union market is as sustainable as possible while remaining affordable for EU consumers.
As the Commission points out, sustainability should be understood as the three pillars that are included in the Farm to Fork Strategy – environmental, social and economic. They are also supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Sustainable farming is a farming and breeding model well suited to the needs of farmers – despite the lack of a uniform European standard many of them have already implemented sustainable farming practices on their farms.
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