The recommendations reflect “the concerns and concerns at the center of society,” project manager Daniel Langmeier said at a media conference in Bern on Monday. They reflected the attitude of the citizens towards the topic of nutrition. The recommendations are differentiated and don’t just apply the levers to production – everyone is asked whether the transformation to more sustainability will succeed, according to Langmeier.
Over the past six months, people from different backgrounds, selected by a market research institute, have been working on the central question of what a food policy for Switzerland should look like “that by 2030 everyone should have healthy, sustainable, animal-friendly and fairly produced food”.
During eleven meetings and on learning excursions, the participants received direct information from science and practice and exchanged ideas with different actors in the Swiss food system, explains Langmeier. In addition, the participants contributed their own perspectives. Last weekend, 137 recommendations were drawn up, of which 126 were adopted.
Involving the population is important in a democracy, said Johanna Jacobi, professor at ETH Zurich and member of the Council’s scientific supervisory board. There is currently very polarized talk about food, especially in the areas of agriculture and consumption. When citizens participate in the discussion, the voice comes from the population and not from interest groups.
“We are currently experiencing several crises coming together,” said Jacobi. “The extinction of species, the energy crisis, the health crisis,” she summed up. These crises would be interrelated and intensify at the same time. Food and agriculture are both triggers and those affected by these crises. “Clearly, a paradigm shift is needed across the entire food system,” the professor concluded. From production to consumption to recycling.
According to the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG), the Federal Office for Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs and the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), the “Citizens’ Council for Food Policy” is financially supported. It is part of the “Nutrition Future Switzerland” project, which is supported by the Biovision Foundation, the Sustainable Development Solution Network (SDSN) and Agriculture with a Future.
With their project, the supporting organizations are taking impetus from the Federal Council. With its “Sustainable Development Strategy 2030”, the state government is striving for a change towards a sustainable food system in Switzerland. She relies on dialogue.
(SDA)