Stakeholder Perceptions of Policy Tools in Support of Sustainable Food Consumption in Europe: Policy Implications

• Published in: Sustainability
• Main Authors: Saviolidis, Nína M., Olafsdottir, Gudrun, Nicolau, Mariana, Samoggia, Antonella, Huber, Elise, Brimont, Laura, Gorton, Matthew, von Berlepsch, David, Sigurdardottir, Hildigunnur, Del Prete, Margherita, Fedato, Cristina, Aubert, Pierre-Marie, Bogason, Sigurður G.
• Other Authors: Iðnaðarverkfræði-, vélaverkfræði- og tölvunarfræðideild (HÍ), Faculty of Industrial Eng., Mechanical Eng. and Computer Sciences (UI), Verkfræði- og náttúruvísindasvið (HÍ), School of Engineering and Natural Sciences (UI), Háskóli Íslands, University of Iceland
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020
• Subjects: sustainable food consumption; agri-food systems; transition; stakeholders; semi-structured interviews; policy tools; Fæðukeðjan; Sjálfbærni; Iceland
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/2949; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12177161

Horizon 2020: The VALUMICS project “Understanding Food Value Chain and Network Dynamics” received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programe. http://valumics.eu/ Applied Supply Chain Systems Research Group (ASCS) UI Transitioning agri-food systems towards increased sustainability and resilience requires that attention be paid to sustainable food consumption policies. Policy-making processes often require the engagement and acceptance of key stakeholders. This study analyses stakeholders’ solutions for creating sustainable agri-food systems, through interviews with a broad range of stakeholders including food value chain actors, non-governmental organizations, governmental institutions, research institutions and academic experts. The study draws on 38 in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted in four European countries: France, Iceland, Italy and the UK, as well as three interviews with high-level EU experts. The interviewees’ solutions were analysed according to a five-category typology of policy tools, encompassing direct activity regulations, and market-based, knowledge-based, governance and strategic policy tools. Most of the identified solutions were located in the strategic tools category, reflecting shared recognition of the need to integrate food policy to achieve long-term goals. Emerging solutions—those which were most commonly identified among the different national contexts—were then used to derive empirically-grounded and more universally applicable recommendations for the advancement of sustainable food consumption policies. Peer Reviewed