Sustainability credentials of the Farm to Fork strategy in times of crisis

Purpose This research’s main aim is to assess the level of resilience in the governance of the food system in the European Union (EU) in light of recent crises. It evaluates to which extent there is a common understanding of what it is meant by a sustainable food system, analysing if the Farm to Fork Strategy, as part of the current policy framework, fulfils the necessary sustainability criteria, including the ability to keep a balanced integration of the three pillars of sustainability (economic, social and environmental). Design/methodology/approach This paper uses a two-stages approach. Content and critical discourse analysis are used in a first stage to determine the conceptual and governance framework. This is followed by a comparative case study analysis based on the recently developed Global Food Security Index (GFSI). Progress on this index over time in conjunction with data available from the Horizon2020 SUSFANS project, are used to select a sample of EU Member States as case studies and undertake a comparative analysis that contributes to answering the research questions posed. Findings The research reveals an uneven approach to food policy governance both at the EU and the Member State levels, with a significant barrier posed by the lack of conceptual framework for food sustainability. The Farm to Fork Strategy appears as a step in the right direction, but there is a remarked bias towards addressing food sustainability only from the security of supply point of view, and insufficient integration of the Strategy with the rest of the policy mix. Practical implications This research suggests opportunities for improvement in the measurement tools and indicators of food sustainability, as well as opportunities to adopt more integrative and coordinated approaches to food sustainability policy-making to enhance the multilevel governance framework. It contributes to the debates on food security, poverty and sustainability in Europe and provides the basis for further research and policy development. Social implications The social pillar of sustainability of the food system seems to be given a lower level of priority than the economic and environmental pillars, which provides arguments for a more integrated and comprehensive consideration of food poverty and sustainability at the EU level, in support of or to complement existing national measures. In addition, the paper can contribute to the wider understanding of sustainability, which may affect citizens’ quality of life through the promotion of more equitable and sustainable food systems. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that combines the analysis of the sustainability and governance of the food system in Europe with empirical data from the GFSI in comparison to European-generated data. It also deviates from traditional approaches that focus on the Common Agricultural Policy as the main instrument of the food policy framework, to look at the role of the Farm to Fork Strategy, highlighting the existence of an incomplete food governance framework.