Reduce meat consumption (excluding poultry) by 12% by 2030, reach 12% organic value across all consumption channels, reduce children's exposure to certain food advertisements, set maximum thresholds in sugars, salts and fats, demanding transparency on purchases and margins for sustainable foods in mass distribution…
Several of the main directions projected in an intermediate version of the national strategy for food, nutrition and climate (Snanc) dated April, and unveiled on November 22 by the online media Contextif adopted, would have a concrete impact on the daily lives of the French. However, in a context of agricultural crisis and government instability, the official publication of this roadmap, firmly awaited by parliamentarians, associations and actors in the food chain, is long overdue.
It should have taken place in July 2023. But sixteen months after the deadline, it is still not finalized. Snanc is the last of the major ecological planning strategies awaiting publication, after the national low carbon strategy, the multi-year energy program and the national climate change adaptation plan were put out for consultation this fall.
Crucial topics
Snanc is a new roadmap, the request for which dates back to the citizens' climate convention, and which was included in the Climate and Resilience Law of 2021. In an unprecedented way, the ministries of agriculture, ecological transition and health had to work towards a common approach to food issues. Crucial subjects both for achieving carbon neutrality, food being the second source of greenhouse gas emissions in France, and for health, since pathologies linked to food (diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases vascular diseases, cancers, etc.) are a major cause of death in France.
However, not all decisions are made. The ban on certain food advertisements for children, one of the most striking recommendations, is the subject of frank opposition from the Ministry of Culture, which fears a loss of revenue for public broadcasting. But the possible shortfall has until now never been assessed, and is currently the subject of an impact study by Bercy services. “Certain doubts may perhaps be dismissed by the administrations. It would be a real step forward to be able to regulate marketing aimed at children”underlines Charlie Brocard, researcher specializing in food at the Institute of Sustainable Development and International Relations.
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