Uncovering food systems logics to identify leverage points fostering healthy and sustainable diets in the EU

 

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Uncovering food systems logics to identify leverage points fostering healthy and sustainable diets in the EU

Prof Erik Mathijs

 

Date: 19 November 2024, 16:00

Location: Oxford Martin School, Seminar rooms

 

While the unsustainability of the food system requires the promotion of sustainable and healthy food consumption in the EU, its complexity poses an important challenge to developing solutions, because several loosely coupled subsystems interact through a large quantity of drivers that together produce societal outcomes. To identify solutions or leverage points in food systems therefore requires understanding these dynamics at least at a relatively high level of abstraction. Within the EU project PLAN’EAT (“Food systems transformation towards healthy and sustainable dietary behaviour”), we have developed a basic stylized EU food systems map based on a state-of-the-art conceptualisation of food systems in five steps: (1) identification of food system trends, (2) description of mechanisms behind EU food system trends based on literature review, (3) development of a first systems map, (4) first adaptation of the systems map based on expert interviews and (5) second adaptation of the systems map and identification of leverage points through focus groups. We identified patterns and leverage points that capture the main functioning of the current food system, beyond the description of food system actors, activities, interactions and outcomes, and call these “food system logics”—parallel to the notion of “institutional logics” in sociology.  We describe how these food system logics pervade the food system and how these are amplified by drivers such as innovation, liberalisation and policy.

No booking required. Places on a first come, first served basis.