NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--This week Upfield launched a policy position paper on A Better Plant-Based Future, offering eight recommendations to inspire systematic change within our food system. Upfield believes in the power of plant-based foods as part of the solution to the growing environmental problems of land-use, carbon emissions, biodiversity, freshwater use and soil degradation. Extensive research also indicates incorporating more plants into our diets can reduce risk of type 2 diabetes, several cancers, obesity and other chronic diseases.
The policy position paper is the result of an extensive collaboration between Upfield and academics and experts from the United States and across Europe to advocate for regulatory change by national governments and supranational organisations to promote a sustainable, nutritious plant-focused food system.
“The UN’s recent IPCC report on climate change and land use highlights that we cannot continue to consume meat and dairy at current rates. Upfield’s policy position comes at a crucial time in the debate around the impact western diets have on the climate and our health. We are calling for innovative, cross-sector solutions to transform the current food system to prioritise environmental sustainability, economic sustainability and public health,” said Dr Jeanette Fielding, Chief Corporate Affairs & Communications Officer, Upfield.
Upfield was joined on Monday September 23rd at a strategic dialogue on plant-based food systems at the 2019 Concordia Annual Summit in New York City by delegates from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, the World Health Organization, the World Resources Institute, Chatham House, Johns Hopkins University, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, the World Food Programme, the International Fund for Agricultural Development and more.
“Now is the time to take action to transform our food system. Both for our climate and for our health, a sustainable, plant-based food system can become part of a bigger, integrated solution to feeding a growing population by 2050. We can achieve this by reviewing subsidies and economic incentives within food supply chains to promote plant-based foods from sustainable food systems,” said Dan Glickman, Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Congressional Program.
At this roundtable event, the group discussed at length the impacts of plant-based food systems to environmental sustainability, economic sustainability and public health. An important theme was that plant-based foods are not the whole solution to our food problems – we need an integrated approach looking at the sustainability and health impacts of all foods in our supply chains.
In line with these themes, Upfield’s policy position advocates for the following measures from national governments and supranational organisations:
- Encourage the consumption of more plants (and a more diverse range of plants)
- Increase policy initiatives to achieve a just transition to a more sustainable food system
- Evolve incentives and funding to ensure agricultural workers are offered a living wage, and smallholders are protected
- Ensure complete and truthful labelling, to put plant-based foods on an equal regulatory footing with meat and dairy
- Encourage partnerships, investments and innovations to progress sustainable food systems
- Modernise standards of identity to categorise plant-derived foods in a clear and unambiguous way
- Seek collaborations and partnership between the private sector, civil society, governments and academic institutions to conduct evidence-based research on plant-based food systems
- Seek collaborations and partnership between key stakeholders to enhance consumer education on plant-based foods
Following Upfield’s session at the 2019 Concordia Annual Summit, Upfield plans to launch a joint statement advocating for sustainable, nutritious, plant-based diet food systems with a range of cross-sector actors in the public health and sustainability spaces.
ABOUT UPFIELD
At Upfield, we make people healthier and happier with great tasting, plant-based nutrition products that are better for the planet. As a global plant-based company, Upfield is the #1 producer of plant-based spreads with more than 60 brands, including iconic brands Flora, Rama, Blue Band, Proactive, Becel, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter and Country Crock. With headquarters in Amsterdam, we sell our products in over 95 countries and have 17 manufacturing sites throughout the world. The company employs over 3100 Associates. Since 1871, we have been the authority in the spreads category which gives us unmatched experience, know-how and inspiration. We are focused on leading in this new era focused on delivering healthier products that are great tasting and have superior quality and helps us deliver on our mission to create “Better Plant-based Future.” For more information, please visit our website at www.Upfield.com.
ABOUT CONCORDIA
Concordia offers the premier platform for engaging the most influential leaders in politics, business, and social impact to find innovative and meaningful ways to address the world’s most pressing issues. As the largest nonpartisan forum alongside the U.N. General Assembly, the 2019 Concordia Annual Summit will convene over 3,000 attendees and speakers for two days of strategic discussions, dynamic presentations, and keynote addresses.
