As you travel across Europe, take a moment to savour the incredible variety of food and drinks that our continent offers. Whether you enjoy some tasty Camembert at a French market, sip on your after-meal ouzo on a Greek island, or browse a supermarket in Sweden for your meal, you'll find products from all over Europe, allowing you to recognise and appreciate the continent's culinary diversity and excellence.
However, this abundance is not a given; it is the result of a robust European food and drink supply chain, with a central role for food and drink manufacturers, and it is possible thanks to the circulation of products within the EU internal market.
The food and drink manufacturing sector, represented by FoodDrinkEurope, is a cornerstone of Europe's socio-economic fabric. With 291,000 enterprises – 99% of which are SMEs – largely based in rural areas, 4.6 million employees and over €230 billion generated in value-added, this is the EU's largest manufacturing industry and the world's leading exporter of food and drinks. It's time we commit to safeguarding the future of this vital industry for the EU.
We must be strategic about Europe’s food and drink sector, and its wider supply chain
Over the past few years, Europe's food and drink sector has faced unprecedented challenges: a global pandemic, geopolitical tensions, and an escalating climate crisis. Despite these stress tests, the industry has consistently delivered top-quality products. Yet, sustaining this success is increasingly difficult and cannot be taken for granted.
A recent survey of industry CEOs reveals that the majority perceives a deterioration in business conditions within the EU. Coupled with a growing vulnerability to external shocks, this threatens our ability to maintain a steady supply of safe and affordable food and drinks.
To preserve and enhance our industry’s excellence, we must be strategic about Europe’s food and drink sector, and its wider supply chain. Proper investments and policy support are essential to achieving sustainability ambitions, boosting competitiveness, and ensuring food security and long-term resilience.
At FoodDrinkEurope, we propose a comprehensive “EU Food Investment and Resilience Plan”, an industrial policy for agri-food encompassing five key elements:
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Stimulate investments to bridge a financing gap of at least €30 billion per year for sustainable agri-food systems. Leveraging the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and other funding mechanisms is crucial to scaling up sustainable practices.
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Support innovation to accelerate the development and commercialisation of novel foods, ingredients, and processes. Enhancing risk assessment and management processes and maximizing public-private partnerships will deliver a faster pace of innovation.
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Boost trade and secure supply to ensure continued access to global export markets and stable supplies, vital elements for our agri-food systems.
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Build better regulation to enhance Europe’s global industrial competitiveness. This means focussing EU policy-making on implementation and simplification, reducing regulatory, administrative, and reporting burdens.
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Improve governance and coordination, recognising how collaborative discussions with the private sector are essential for the EU’s crisis preparedness and resilience, to devise comprehensive solutions for food security, nutrition, and sustainability.
The food and drink sector is a symbol of European tradition and innovation, stability and security, sustainability and global industrial leadership. FoodDrinkEurope looks forward to partnering with Members of the European Parliament to ensure Europe will continue to lead in food and drink excellence.