Numbers of signatories committing to the EU Code of Conduct on Responsible Food Business and Marketing Practices has increased from 65 to 124, including major European and international food industry traders.
The EU Code of Conduct on Responsible Business and Marketing Practices in Food is a key element of the Farm to Fork Strategy and signatories to the code have almost doubled during its first year of operations. Such commitments include promoting healthy and sustainable diets by reducing the sugar content of products and improving resource efficiency via reducing greenhouse gas emissions along the value chain. The European Commission has now launched a study to map companies’ commitments and the areas they cover in order to better visualise the efforts made by the food industry and where it is on the road to sustainability. The findings of the mapping study of the 2021 reports will be available at the end of this year.
Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans said: “Food production and consumption is one of the main causes of climate and biodiversity crises. I therefore encourage all companies to adhere to the Code of Conduct. The rapid increase in the number of signatories shows that the sector is becoming increasingly aware that sustainable food production is the only way to achieve this."
