Commission launches public consultation on review of the promotion policy for EU agri-food products

This public consultation is part of a policy review announced in the Farm to Fork strategy.

Today, the Commission launched a public consultation, which aims to gather views on different policy options designed to ensure that the future EU agri-food promotion policy will support the transition to more sustainable food systems and nudge consumers to balanced diets, whilst strengthening the global competitiveness of EU farmers and agri-food businesses. In addition, the consultation will provide an opportunity to obtain feedback on different options to update the policy implementation, making it simpler and more effective for beneficiaries, implementing bodies and national authorities. The consultation is open for 12 weeks, from 31 March to 23 June 2021.

The EU’s agri-food promotion policy helps its farmers and food sector to sell their products in an increasingly competitive global market. This public consultation is part of a policy review announced in the Farm to Fork strategy that will aim to enhance the promotion policy’s contribution to sustainable production and consumption, and in line with the shift to a more plant-based diet, with less red and processed meat and more fruit and vegetables.

The policy review follows an evaluation completed in 2020 which concluded that the policy was instrumental in increasing awareness of the high standards of EU agri-food products and quality schemes both inside the EU and in key export markets. The evaluation also suggested that going forward promotion policy could play an important role in supporting the transition towards more sustainable EU food systems.