Science to policy dialogue for a food and agriculture policy roadmap - WBCSD
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Science to
policy dialogue
for a food and
agriculture Summary
policy outcome
roadmap paper for
discussion
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) through the Food and Nature Policy
& Advocacy team is convening a series of Science-to-Policy Dialogues. The first dialogue workshop took
place on 8-10 September 2020, bringing together business, science and civil society to co-construct
transformative food system-related policy asks. Taking a consumer perspective, three “big issues” framed
the dialogue: 1. Changing consumer behavior to healthy and sustainable diets, 2. The food we need
to produce and eat for a healthy sustainable diet and 3. Trade for sustainable food systems in a (post)
COVID-19 reality. The following paper summarizes the discussion and emerging solutions spaces for
business to provoke initial discussion and feedback.
A healthy food system is one with Indeed, there is no one-size-fits-all set The three “big issues” that this SPD
inclusive outcomes for healthy people of policy asks, but rather a range of asks is addressing from a consumer
and a healthy planet, including healthy that will depend on both consumers’ perspective are as follows:
businesses. To achieve a more resilient capability and maturity of the business- 1. Changing consumer behavior to
and healthy food system, we will require government-consumers relationship. healthy and sustainable diets
a deep and fundamental shift in our Trade-offs must be carefully considered 2. The food we need to produce and
current food systems, informed by a at a local level, for example, repurposing eat for a healthy and sustainable
collective understanding of the current subsidies to incentivize consumption diet
challenges and guided by an evidence- of more sustainable or healthy food 3. Trade for sustainable food systems
based, common vision and collective could increase food insecurity amongst in a (post) COVID-19 reality
solutions spaces for business action. certain demographics.
COVID-19 has exacerbated the existing For each of these “big issues”, key
weaknesses of the global food and We will need governments at all levels challenges and solutions are outlined
agriculture system exposing the fragility to become aligned in policy making below based on the three-day
of a system across the value chain. efforts, and engage with companies workshop. From this discussion we
from across the entire value chain, civil have also lifted the most promising
Today, the double burden of malnutrition society organizations and the scientific cross-cutting proposed policy
is growing, disproportionately affecting community to ensure that mechanisms recommendations.
the poorest and most vulnerable. ''With are in place to move countries
healthy diets that are unaffordable successfully towards achieving the UN
and less accessible for many people SDGs and the Paris Climate Agreement.
in all regions of the world, several Policy has a critical role to play. In 2021,
populations are facing simultaneous two milestone events, the UN Food
wasting, stunting and obesity. Hence, Systems Summit and the Nutrition for
transforming our food systems offers Growth (N4G) Summit, provide unique
potential social, environmental and opportunities to both raise awareness
economic win-wins across societies. and make the commitments that are
Nevertheless, the challenges necessary to shift the system. As part
consumers are facing are also context- of this series of Science-to-Policy
specific, both across countries and Dialogues (SPDs), WBCSD is producing
within them, and a global vision must a set of key policy issues, asks and
retain enough agility to be adapted in recommendations to contribute to
local contexts to best meet the needs these summits.
of diverse groups of consumers.
Science to policy dialogue for a food and agriculture policy roadmap - Summary outcome paper for discussion
Cross-cutting policy recommendations:
• Promote change at global, national education finance and trade • Increased transparency: use digital
and local levels: leverage the global departments; and weighing system innovation to support communication
community to coordinate regulation, wide costs and benefits to create with consumers where possible,
use national legislation to promote holistic policies. harmonize and simplify guidelines
implementation and to enhance the around labelling to increase
• Public-private and cross-sector
capacity to innovate at a local level. consumer understanding, improve
partnerships: use public policy
choices and build trust.
• Coordination of government to enable greater private sector
ministries: support more integrated innovation, new business models and
policy making by coordinating scaling through regulation, financing
amongst departments including and incentives.
health, agriculture, environment,
“Big Issue” 1 - Changing consumer behavior to healthy and sustainable diets
Food consumption patterns often companies across the value chain, the Consumers globally hold varied values
do not reflect healthy or sustainable scientific community and civil society. and perceptions associated with food
diets. The core drivers are a gap Most national dietary guidelines, while consumption which is influenced by
in understanding of healthy and taking into account health concerns, geography, culture and socio-economic
sustainable diets, skewed pricing are not sufficiently ambitious to bring status. Values and economic means
not accounting for health and food systems to within planetary impact how price sensitive consumers
environmental externalities, the role boundaries, and there is a lack of are and what other priorities they
of trends and marketing, and a lack of coherence amongst different national may consider (e.g. taste, environment,
availability, affordability and accessibility. dietary recommendations. In addition, health, social habits) when making their
there is great potential for marketing choices. Different policies are required
There is currently a lack of transparent
and advertising techniques to influence to target different consumer segments
and clear information available for
consumer behavior towards healthy and companies need to be incentivized
consumers to make informed choices
and sustainable eating. to ensure that poorer consumers
on healthy and sustainable food. There
with lower spending power are not
are multiple definitions of healthy and
underserved.
sustainable diets used by governments,
Policy considerations and asks:
• Guidelines: develop a clear set and reporting requirements (e.g. the and consumers of the importance
of coherent guidelines to support development of metrics) that cover of making healthy and sustainable
consumers to make more informed both health and sustainability across choices, as well as limiting food
choices on nutritious and sustainable agencies, markets and regions. waste. Consider restrictions on
foods and build public trust. For Consider revisiting strict definitions marketing and advertising to
example, national and global food of product categories (e.g. cheese more easily influenced consumer
based dietary guidelines that are products) and using new digital groups (e.g. children). Additionally,
science-based with clear and technologies to enable transparency governments should consider
consistent engagement from multiple for consumers along the supply forming advisory boards that are
stakeholders and consistent policy chain. independent of private business
support. When fresh nutritious actors, but also includes dialogue
• Public procurement: develop healthy
food is not available, government with the private sector so that
and sustainable public procurement
should seek to promote innovative recommendations are feasible.
requirements across the public
approaches to food fortification and
sector (e.g. schools, hospitals, • Affordability: make sure that healthy
supplementation. Recommended
government departments) with and sustainable food is affordable for
diets should reflect variations in
accompanying targets. This would all consumers. Rebalancing subsidies
geography, culture, and demography,
model good behavior and provide a to make healthy and sustainable
and local production environment to
consistent demand to the sector. food cheaper could be an option and
balance health and sustainability.
should be further explored.
• Education: use education to raise
• Standards: introduce global
the awareness amongst children
standards to harmonize labelling
Science to policy dialogue for a food and agriculture policy roadmap - Summary outcome paper for discussion“Big Issue” 2 - The food we need to produce and eat for a healthy sustainable diet
Economic considerations often take In 2019, nearly 1 in 10 people were food foods high in sugar, salt and fat inundate
precedence over nutritional value, insecure and 2 billion people did not healthy alternatives. Additionally, food
long-term health effects and food have regular access to safe, nutritious loss across the system is another key
production sustainability. Misaligned and sufficient food. Additionally, in many factor driving availability and affordability
financial incentives that hide the true countries of the world there is a shortage across the value chain from pre-harvest
cost of “cheap” food and make healthy, of any kind of food, and malnutrition through to the consumer.
sustainable food products unaffordable is a real issue. In some regions the
for many, means that moderately food infrastructure is such that people live
insecure people tend to consume foods in “food deserts” with limited access
that are typically cheaper on a per- to affordable and nutritious foods and
calorie basis and fewer, more nutrient “food swamps” where fast-food and
dense expensive foods.
Policy considerations and asks:
• Incentivize research and providing need-to-know production • Fair pricing: use multi-capital and
development: utilize policy to information and facilitating greater true cost accounting methods to
support companies to develop and farmer-to-farmer knowledge internalize the environmental and
strengthen the nutrient profile of sharing. social capital costs associated with
existing food products and identify the production and consumption
• Support innovative partnerships:
new ones. For example, supporting of food, to ensure they are fairly
governments and financial
the diversification of protein reflected within market prices.
institutions should work together to
sources through plant-based meat However, such approaches impact
provide loans and grants and use
substitutes in addition to animal- affordability, and subsidies and
blended finance mechanisms to
based protein. Additionally, there is other incentives should be used in
de-risk private capital. Use financial
a role for the public sector to help combination with these approaches
instruments to bring public and
scale and distribute innovations to ensure that no individuals are
private sector actors together.
which are already ready to market marginalized as a result.
but need incentives to accelerate • Support infrastructure
• Promote companies focused
acceptance amongst consumers. development: investment to
beyond profit: encourage
strengthen capacity for healthy
• Accelerate and incentivize best companies and, as applicable, their
food production (e.g. irrigation
practices to enhance supply of shareholders, to value health and
technology; distribution (e.g. cold
sustainable, healthy products: sustainability performance metrics
storage systems, all-weather
support dialogues and case- beyond profit. Highlighting the
transit networks); and disposal (e.g.
studies to share best practice brand impact for companies from
composting) to reduce food loss
information and build capacity actions that transform consumer
and waste throughout the product
across all levels of the value chain behavior and build trust towards
life cycle.
- for example, using technology healthy and sustainable diets, which
as a tool to empower farmers by in turn can impact commercial
success.
Science to policy dialogue for a food and agriculture policy roadmap - Summary outcome paper for discussion“Big Issue” 3 - Trade for sustainable food systems in a (post) COVID-19 reality
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed Global trade is incredibly complex and impacts associated with food
weaknesses and the fragility of supply might not be fit for purpose for some production in one country are
chains in the food system as well as of the 21st century challenges. It is sometimes inadvertently transferred
the need to build resilience into supply currently associated with an increasing to other countries. In addition, there
chains. environmental footprint but has the is growing demand for transparency
opportunity to also become a conveyor on the impact of products across
Current trade systems are overly
and create benefits for society and the their lifecycle to be made available to
focused on political and economic
environment. consumers. Existing value chains are
issues, failing to integrate the value of
not always in balance, highlighting the
externalities around health, equitable Although the WTO allows for
inequitable distribution of value.
distribution of value (livelihoods) or environmental protection and
the environment into market prices. preservation provisions, negative
Policy considerations and asks:
• Rules-based trade: promote a • Capacity building: assisting • Global standards and certification:
predictable and fair rule-based developing countries in implementing incorporate externalities around
trading system. Encourage the trade agreements and negotiations, healthy and sustainable food
development of initiatives that developing standards for trade in a into international agreements.
support cooperation between way that ensures measures are not For example, through a “Codex
national and international bodies applied in a manner that constitutes Planetarius” with an accompanying
to preserve trading channels and hidden protectionism, and enable set of environmental standards to
networks during production shocks, digital trade, in an effort to help support global food and agriculture
to limit increases in food prices. facilitate trade of safer food and trade.
Consider how to enhance local food integrate small producers into global
choices and shorter supply chains. markets. Ensure that organizations
that are part of the UN system have
the set up and expertise to support
those efforts.
Participants of the Business representatives Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)
Science-to-Policy Laura Barneby, Unilever PLC
Christian Bogen, Bayer A.G.
David McNair, ONE.org
Melissa Pinfield, Meridian Institute
Dialogue Anke Boykin, PepsiCo Seble Samuel, CCAFS, CGIAR
Katharina Hilker, Buhler AG Greg Sixt, Massachusetts Institute of
We would like to thank the Technology (MIT)
Ralf Kelle, Evonik Industries AG
participants who contributed Susan Kevork, Nestlé SA Sébastien Treyer, IDDRI
to the discussions with open Bachir Mouhyi, OCP Group Martine van Weelden, Capitals
minds and ideas. While all the Hanane Mourchild, OCP Group Coalition
participants contributed to Ellen Oerlemans, DSM N.V.
the above recommendations, Geraldine O’Grady, Givaudan SPD core team representatives
the final text and ultimate International SA Camilla De Nardi, WBCSD
recommendations may not Katrijn Otten, Cargill Tamara Enzler, WBCSD
reflect the individual positions of Amy Senter, Kellogg Company Emeline Fellus, WBCSD
the participating organizations. Varun Vats, Syngenta International AG Matt Gilbert, PwC
Emily Grady, WBCSD
Critical Friends representatives Policy, Research and Civil Society Amanda Harding, Convene
Patrick Caron, CIRAD – University of representatives Diane Holdorf, WBCSD
Montpellier Scarlett Benson, SYSTEMIQ LTD Clea Kaske-Kuck, WBCSD
Dan Gustafson, UN FAO Alison Cairns, United Nations Susanne Kat, WBCSD
Lawrence Haddad, Global Alliance for Mario Herrero, Commonwealth Scientific Abigail Paris, PwC
Improved Nutrition (GAIN) & Industrial Research Organisation Georgia Stevenson, PwC
Wim Haentjens, European (CSIRO) Alain Vidal, WBCSD
Commission Patrick Holden, Sustainable Food Trust
Jamie Morrison, UN FAO Mark Lundy, International Center for
David Nabarro, 4SD Foundation
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