The European Food Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) Round Table [1] adopted recently, during its plenary meeting, the ENVIFOOD Protocol [2], a harmonised framework methodology to assess the environmental impact of food products.
Following public consultation and pilot testing of the nineteen participants involved (including companies, sectoral associations, academia and others), the Round Table adopted the final methodology for the ENVIFOOD Protocol.[pdf, 2.23MB] The Protocol is the culmination of a process which started in 2009 with the adoption of 10 Guiding Principles [3]. The Protocol lays the ground for the upcoming Commission Environmental Footprint methodology pilots for food and drink products, to be launched in 2014 and in which the Round Table will play an active role.
The Round Table also agreed upon a set of revised objectives and deliverables for the upcoming years which include:
- Improving the environmental performance of food and drink products throughout their life cycle;
- Developing, whenever necessary, specific solutions to assess and validate continuous environmental improvement across the food chain;
- Promoting and improving the communication of environmental performance of food and drink products and their production across the food chain; and,
- Promoting coordination and policy consistency on sustainability at international level.
The plenary welcomed high level speakers from the EU institutions, industry and academia including: Pavel Misiga, (Head of Unit at the European Commission’s DG Environment), Alexandre Meybeck, (UN Food and Agriculture Organisation) as well as key experts from the French, Dutch and Swiss national governments.
Speaking at the plenary event, Pascal Gréverath, Nestlé AVP Head of Environmental Sustainability, Chair of FoodDrinkEurope’s Environmental Sustainability Committee and Co-Chair of the SCP RT Steering Committee said:
“The adoption today by the SCP Round Table of the ENVIFOOD Protocol, the first sectoral framework to assess the environmental impact of food, is a major milestone towards establishing scientifically reliable assessment methodologies for Europe’s food and drink industry. It is an indication of the commitment of Europe’s food chain partners to the long-term sustainability of the food chain and paves the way for further initiatives in this area.”
Source: Envirocentre.ie – SCP Adopts Framework to Assess Environmental Impact of Food
