New EU farming chief challenged to reform the food system
A new opinion poll released today on the eve of the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture 2015 in Berlin reveals high public support for more food to be produced sustainably and sold locally. The poll results come at a time when the new European Union Agriculture Commissioner, Phil Hogan, has been mandated to push for more jobs and sustainability in the farming sector and will be discussing with international agricultural ministers in Berlin how to meet this challenge.
The opinion poll, conducted by TNS Opinion in 8 EU countries on behalf of Friends of the Earth Europe, reveals:
- 89% of people interviewed saw buying local food as supporting local jobs. 78% thought that locally produced food provided a balanced and complete diet.
- However, 73% of respondents said it was difficult to find information about locally produced food – and 67% said there weren’t enough places to buy local food near them.
- 91% of people surveyed said that their governments should do more to support production and access to local food.
Speaking about the results of the polling, Stanka Becheva, food campaigner for Friends of the Earth Europe, said: “We currently have an increasingly globalised and industrialised food system that destroys jobs, damages the environment and creates costly food scandals. This poll shows public support for something different, and that politicians need to do a lot more to support sustainably produced local food and to build local food economies. We challenge Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan to lead the debate in transforming the food system that puts local and green food with short supply chains at its core. This is a massive win-win case where the public, local food producers, and the environment can all benefit.”
read more… – Friends of the Earth Europe
