Transparency solutions for healthy, sustainable and safe food systems in existing policy

Bear, Christopher ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7130-515X, Mukherjee, Ananya ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4007-5459 and Cifuentes, Marta Lopez 2023. Transparency solutions for healthy, sustainable and safe food systems in existing policy. [Project Report]. TITAN. Available at: http://titanproject.eu/wp-content/uploads/TITAN_D7...

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Abstract

This document examines the concept of transparency, and the role envisioned for it in contributing to the transformation of future food systems. It is the outcome of Task 7.1, which aimed to review how the potential roles of transparency in the food system are envisioned in existing policy, and also reports on aspects of Task 7.2, which worked with stakeholders from across the food system to identify key areas in which existing policy requires, constrains, or enables transparency. The report argues that ‘transparency’ is frequently alluded to in policy and regulation that relate to the food system, but that the concept is, at best, loosely defined. A brief review of academic literature on the topic identifies a similar ambiguity in transparency’s conceptualisation, where it has often been conflated, or used interchangeably with, the closely-related notion of traceability. The immediate policy context for the TITAN project, and its concerns for transparency, is the Farm to Fork Strategy, which is an action towards the European Green Deal. While maintaining a focus on the importance of clear and accurate information to inform consumer purchases, the Strategy signals a shift towards a more systemic approach that acknowledges the influence of processors and retailers. Similar shifts can be identified in other recent and ongoing legislative activity, such as the Regulation on Deforestation-free Products, and the Green Claims Directive. While not the focus of this report, the role of international organisations (e.g. the UNFAO), national governments, non-governmental organisations (e.g. International Organisation for Standardisation) and third sector organisations (such as environmental charities) is acknowledged. The policy review encompassed TITAN’s areas of focus: environmental sustainability, food safety, and health and nutrition. While policy most frequently fails to define transparency explicitly, the review identified five themes that point towards an ethos of transparency: 1) openness; 2) explication of rules; 3) involvement of stakeholders; 4) standardisation of data/consistency of approach; and 5) independent and/or public scrutiny. It also argues that food system transparency is both about food itself and the governance and decision-making that surround it – and, crucially, that these two elements should be considered together. Six ‘visions’ for transparency are identified in the report: 1) achieving confidence in the food system; 2) a desire to respond to consumer interests; 3) greater involvement of stakeholders in reviewing policy; 4) accountability; 5) greater scrutiny of policy-making; and 6) a means through which consistency of approach might be achieved. Intended audiences for transparency range from end-consumers and the general public to certifiers, value chain actors and public authorities. Stakeholder interviews demonstrated divergence of understanding of ‘transparency’, ranging from an interest in being open through to more nuanced interpretations around agreement over the types of data to be shared, and the nature of sharing that should be undertaken. Stakeholder interviews identified the nature of infrastructure for data sharing as not only a factor that might enable transparency, but one that also can affect the interpretation of transparency. The report highlights some of the challenges both of achieving a shared or consistent understanding of the concept of transparency, and of realising a more transparent food system through policy interventions.

Item Type:	Monograph (Project Report)
Status:	Published
Schools:	Geography and Planning (GEOPL)
Publisher:	TITAN
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	23 May 2024
Date of Acceptance:	31 October 2023
Last Modified:	30 May 2024 16:18
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/169099

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