The Sustainable Food Systems Initiative Framework

ClientEarth critiques the current EU agricultural and fisheries policies for failing to meet sustainability targets and urges the European Commission to adopt a new, comprehensive legislative framework. The organization argues that existing tools like the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) are insufficient or poorly implemented. It advocates for an 'umbrella law' that covers the entire food value chain, integrates fundamental rights and access to justice, and utilizes public procurement to drive systemic change toward environmentally positive and healthy food systems.

• The current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has failed to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions since 2010, despite €100 billion in funding allocated to climate action, and has supported the overuse of water resources.
• The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is implemented too slowly to end overfishing; specifically, 83% of assessed stocks in the Mediterranean and Black Seas are overfished, and Baltic Sea stocks are not improving.
• ClientEarth argues that the EU should adopt 'Option 4' from the Inception Impact Assessment—a new comprehensive framework legislation—because voluntary approaches, the status quo, or reinforcing existing fragmented laws are insufficient to transform the food system.
• The proposed framework should be an 'umbrella law' covering the entire food value chain from production to consumption, including a legal obligation to align other sectoral Union laws with its objectives.
• Public procurement should be leveraged as a transformative tool to set standards and use buying power to steer markets toward sustainable, healthy, and social objectives.
• The framework should incorporate fundamental rights, including the right to a healthy environment, and establish clear access to justice provisions to allow citizens to enforce the law in court.
• Food systems contribute significantly to environmental degradation, with the food system accounting for 30% of EU and one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions.

APA

ClientEarth (2021). The Sustainable Food Systems Initiative Framework. https://www.clientearth.org/media/swgkbwi1/sustainable-food-systems-framework-initiative_clientearth-feedback-on-the-iia.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. The Sustainable Food Systems Initiative Framework. 2021. https://www.clientearth.org/media/swgkbwi1/sustainable-food-systems-framework-initiative_clientearth-feedback-on-the-iia.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=The Sustainable Food Systems Initiative Framework |date=October 2021 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/swgkbwi1/sustainable-food-systems-framework-initiative_clientearth-feedback-on-the-iia.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearth2021sustainable, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{The Sustainable Food Systems Initiative Framework}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2021}, month = oct, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/swgkbwi1/sustainable-food-systems-framework-initiative_clientearth-feedback-on-the-iia.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }