Flemish Food Strategy 2022-2030

Published on March 14, 2023

A Flemish food strategy is necessary because our food system is faced with major systematic challenges such as climate change, food waste, fair farming income, food inequality and healthy eating. Our ambition is that the population today can benefit from the advantages that this strategy offers and that we build a stable foundation for future generations to eat healhily and sustainably. In our strategy we involve every actor of the food chain (citizen, economy and agricultural sector) in order to benefit from a better future of our food system!

The Flemish food strategy consists of four strategic pillars, inspired by the European Commission's Food 2030 research policy framework.

PILLAR 1: HEATHY AND SUSTAINABLE FOOD FOR EVERYONE

Within this pillar we want to create a healthy and sustainable diet. It is crucial to realize a food environment in which healthy and sustainable food choices are the easiest options in order to combat food inequality and to provide citizens with more knowledge about healthy food.

PILLAR 2: FOOD SYSTEM WITHIN ECOLOGICAL LIMITS

Within pillar 2, we want to make the transition to a circular, climate-neutral food system. We are commited to minimizing food losses, making proteins more sustainable and diversifying, and taking care of our environment.

PILLAR 3: FULL COMMITMENT TO A RESILIENT FOOD ECONOMY

With this food strategy we also want to focus on cooperation between different actors that are interrelated. The primary producer is a crucial link in this chain and we therefore ensure a qualitative and permanent influx of the primary producer and a fair price for their work. In addition, we also work on fair and sustainable trade and we put the Flemish kitchen in the spotlight.

PILLAR 4: FOOD CONNECTS FARMERS TO CITIZENS

Finally, we better connect the various actors in the food chain and increase citizen's confidence in food. A correct and fair price for our food is therefore crucial.

We concretize our strategy with 11actions

1) Flanders as an innovative agricultural and food hub
2) Working together for fair pricing and real prices
3) Structurally building, enshrining and transforming social distribution platforms into food hubs
4) Towards healthy and sustainable food environments in Flanders' public space
5) Encouraging healthy, sustainable and affordable diets trough various catering settings
6) Ensuring access to sufficient, healthy and sustainable nutrition for children and young people
7) Independent public expertise point for an integrated view of nutrition
8) Agro-ecology in the Flemish food system: fostering oppurtunities, removing obstacles
9) Food strategies at local, regional and provincial levels
10) Valorisation of carbon farming in the agri-food sector through public-private cooperation
11) Working on food land availability