Experts from various fields got involved at the meeting. © Katja Lepistö
The Just food project started off by identifying inequalities and injustices in the food system transition. A better understanding of inequalities enables giving them more emphasis in political decision-making and in the creation of instruments that steer the food system towards sustainability. Just food wants to engage different stakeholders in society in the identification phase.
The first stakeholder event was held in Helsinki on 8 October 2019. Almost 80 participants represented the food system from different angles; administration, the business world, NGOs and research, among others. The aim of the event was to identify problem areas in the food transition and to map out research needs which could be addressed in the project. Another aim of discussing possible research questions with various stakeholders was to find out what the food transition looks like from their point of view.
Ample research needs
Preparing reliable and comparable sustainability metrics and criteria was identified as an important research topic. This requires more information on, for example, the environmental impacts, nutritional effects, profitability, waste streams, food loss and the use of sidestreams in different diets and production methods.
Other research needs identified at the event:
- Role and behaviour of consumers
- Groups excluded from current studies: children, young people, the elderly
- Inclusion of different socio-economic groups
- Understanding regional differences
- Policy instruments that support the transition
- Constructive, solution-oriented global dialogue
These topics serve as an excellent starting point for the project!
More information
- Researcher Annika Lonkila, Finnish Environment Institute, firstname.lastname@ymparisto.fi
- Research Coordinator Anni Savikurki, e2 Research, firstname.lastname@e2.fi