Challenging intersections: SECURING SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS IN TURBULENT TIMES
Time: 26-28.5.2025
Place: University of Helsinki, Viikki Campus
The Nordic Baltic food systems conference and policy forum
• fosters interaction between food system actors
• encourages thinking across disciplines and sectors
• seeks solutions to systemic challenges
Food systems face multiple and by large, intertwined challenges. Climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution call for immediate actions across the food system, from the fields to the plates. At the same time the geopolitical turbulences have raised food security concerns to the political agendas of the European states and the European Union. The meaning of food for our wellbeing and health is unquestionable and calls for stronger appreciation across society and by the people.
Dealing with such complex problems is a challenge for both research, policy makers, and food system actors. The intertwined challenges cannot be solved by focusing on a single element of the food system, or by a specific sectoral policy or individual scientific discipline. In recent years, food systems thinking therefore has become more established in international forums such as UN, FAO, EU, as well as amongst scholars. In Europe the Farm to Fork strategy was a game-changer in bringing a holistic and coordinated approach to sustainable food systems. It was the first time that the production and consumption of food were considered together at the EU level. Many of the initiatives put forward in the strategy have, however, been delayed or put to halt now due to instabilities in food markets, geopolitics and changing political constellations.
The geopolitical instabilities force also the Nordic and Baltic countries to rethink their premises for sustainable food systems and food security and many of them are now updating their food strategies and policies. The Nordic nutrition recommendations with environmental sustainability criteria were also published in 2023. The guidelines recommend shifts to more plant- and fish-based diets. According to cumulating scientific evidence this would be good for both human and planetary health. However, the ways in which agriculture, food industry and citizens will respond to this remains an open challenge. Furthermore, what would be required from public policies to ensure just transition can vary from one country to another.
Answering all these questions requires forward looking, transformative research, where researchers, food system actors and policy makers come together to seek solutions across the system boundaries.
The 1st Nordic-Baltic food systems conference and policy forum invites researchers, policy makers and food system actors to take stock on the food system challenges across the Nordic and Baltic countries, share experiences and look for innovative solutions and future collaborations.
