D1.1: An operational food systems framework for analysing sustainable food systems outcomes

This report presents a comprehensive framework for assessing sustainable food system outcomes in the context of EU policies, particularly the European Green Deal (EGD) and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Complex relationships between food system (external) drivers, activities (from input supplier to consumer) and outcomes (in terms of food security, economic, social and environmental effects) are concisely explained and the way in which food system actors and markets interact at multiple levels is described. The analytical framework developed within the ACT4CAP27 project provides a structured methodology to evaluate policy impacts on multiple food system outcomes, ensuring that interventions align with long-term sustainability goals.Food systems are shaped by a wide range of drivers, including economic market dynamics, technological advancements, social and institutional factors, and biophysical conditions. A key message of this report is that the interactions between these drivers and food system activities generate trade-offs and synergies between different societal challenges that must be carefully considered in policy design. While the EGD and implementing strategies introduce ambitious targets for sustainability, their implementation requires integrated policy approaches that account for the economic viability of food system actors, the resilience of supply chains, and the accessibility of nutritious diets for all consumers.Furthermore, our analysis highlights the importance of robust indicators to monitor and evaluate food system performance. The recent development of the EU Food System Dashboard by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the Interactive CAP Indicator dashboard offers valuable monitoring frameworks for tracking progress across various sustainability dimensions. However, the current state of data availability and modelling capacities still presents limitations in capturing the full scope of food system transformations. For example, the impacts of input reductions on productivity at farm level or on the environment (e.g. biodiversity and water quality) are still not sufficiently captured, and models provide still too little insight into the consequences of interventions for the food processing industry and consumers (e.g in terms of food access). In the ACT4CAP27 project we seek to address these gaps by refining existing modelling tools and incorporating a broader set of indicators to assess the impacts of future agriculture policies on EU’s food system in the first place, but also to address comprehensively (other) components of the Green Deal. Funding acknowledgement Funded by the European Union. Grant Agreement No. 101134874. Views and opinions expressed are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. UK Research and Innovation Project Code: 10130119 Citation Van Berkum, S., Moghayer, S., Laquai, V., & Arcia, K. (2026). D1.1: An operational food systems framework for analysing sustainable food systems outcomes. ACT4CAP27 Horizon Europe project GA Nr. 101134874. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19695434 Legal notice This document was produced under the terms and conditions of Grant Agreement No. 101134874for the European Commission. It does not necessary reflect the view of the European Union and in no way anticipates the Commission’s future policy in this area. The European Commission is not liable for any consequence stemming from the reuse of this publication. © ACT4CAP27, 2026 The reuse of this document is authorised under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This means that reuse is allowed provided appropriate credit is given and any changes are indicated.For any use or reproduction of elements that are not owned by the BrightSpace consortium, permission may need to be sought directly from the respective right holders. Project information ACT4CAP27 Horizon Europe project Grant Agreement No. 101134874https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101134874CALL: Innovative governance, environmental observations and digital solutions in support of the Green DealWORK PROGRAMME Topic ID: HORIZON-CL6-2023-GOVERNANCE-01-2 Advancing analytical capacity and tools to support EU agri-food policies post 2027 ACT4CAP27 Project coordination: Wageningen Economic Research, The Hague, NLContact: act4cap27@wur.nl | Website: act4cap27.eu Project duration: 1 March 2024 – 28 February 2029