Food as a commodity, human right or common good

Abstract

The European Commission’s recently published ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy seeks to facilitate a transition towards a sustainable food system. The strategy moves from a linear understanding of the food system towards a more circular view of the system’s complex interdependencies. Despite these laudable intentions, it does not follow the guidance of the EU’s Group of Chief Scientific Advisors that the path to a more sustainable food system requires ‘moving from food as a commodity to food as more of a common good’. Drawing on our recent experience as authors of an Evidence Review Report on the European food system, we discuss how different framings of food shape the development of food policy, using the ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy as a key example.