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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.
Sec. Social Movements, Institutions and Governance
Volume 8 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2024.1502081

Towards Sustainable Food Systems: Developing a Monitoring Framework for the EU

Provisionally accepted
Szvetlana Acs Szvetlana Acs 1João Costa Leite João Costa Leite 2Esther Sanyé Mengual Esther Sanyé Mengual 2Arnaldo Caivano Arnaldo Caivano 3Rui Catarino Rui Catarino 2Jean-Noel Druon Jean-Noel Druon 2Federica Di Marcantonio Federica Di Marcantonio 3Beyhan De Jong Beyhan De Jong 3Irene Guerrero Irene Guerrero 2Patricia Gurría Patricia Gurría 4Robert M’barek Robert M’barek 3Panos Panagos Panos Panagos 2Carolina Puerta-Pinero Carolina Puerta-Pinero 2Saulius Tamosiunas Saulius Tamosiunas 3Jan Wollgast Jan Wollgast 2Katalin Tóth Katalin Tóth 2*
  • 1 Independent Researcher, Luxemburg, Luxembourg
  • 2 European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy
  • 3 European Commission, Joint Research Centre (Spain), Seville, Spain
  • 4 Seidor Consulting S.L., Seville, Spain

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Adequate monitoring of the EU transition towards sustainable food systems can promote policy coherence and provide better evidence for informed policy making. This paper presents an initial concept and methodology for an EU food system monitoring framework, integrating a systems' perspective and key sustainability elements relevant to the EU context. Grounded in scientific evidence and extensive dialogues among scientific experts with interdisciplinary backgrounds, we define an EU food system sustainability model that provides a conceptual framework for monitoring. This model encompasses 12 thematic areas and 37 indicator domains, synthetized through a rigorous review of existing frameworks and the assessment of nearly 250 relevant indicators via a transparent workflow and an integrated collaborative digital tool. We identify data gaps that signal challenges ahead in effective monitoring, but also opportunities for research and cooperation. To advance with an EU food system monitoring framework, it is essential to engage in participatory processes with stakeholders, ensuring an inclusive and transparent approach.

    Keywords: Sustainable food systems, Monitoring Framework, food policy, EU policy, systems perspective, Food Chain

    Received: 26 Sep 2024; Accepted: 13 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Acs, Costa Leite, Sanyé Mengual, Caivano, Catarino, Druon, Di Marcantonio, De Jong, Guerrero, Gurría, M’barek, Panagos, Puerta-Pinero, Tamosiunas, Wollgast and Tóth. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Katalin Tóth, European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.