Fabiano de Andrade Correa

Did you know? June 18 is UN Sustainable Gastronomy Day! What’s law got to do with it?

June 18 marks the United Nations (UN) “Sustainable Gastronomy Day” since 2016. It is a new and perhaps less known date among the “UN days”, though not a less important one: it was designated to raise awareness of the interlinkages between gastronomy and the three dimensions of sustainable development, including the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Indeed, there are many linkages between #sustainabledevelopment and our food systems, including the way we produce and consume food. Likewise, there are many correlations with the role law and policies can play in promoting a more sustainable gastronomy worldwide.

On the production side, the food and agriculture sector has an enormous impact in the environment, which poses a threat to sustainable development. One alarming fact, not yet sufficiently known to the public, is that the agriculture sector is responsible for about 20% of the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) that contribute to #climatechange. This is due to, among other factors, the conversion of forestland to open up space for crops and livestock, which releases GHGs that are contained in soils into the atmosphere; further, this changes the roles forests play as “carbon sinks”. In addition, fertilizer use and the digestive process of ruminants releases GHGs as well. Conversely, this is a problem as climate change is already posing serious threats to the productivity of agriculture systems, which will only worsen in the future.

Considering the above, promoting a more sustainable food production system becomes an urgent task. Many international agreements have a role to play in this regard. Within the UNFCCC framework, the majority of countries worldwide have included the agriculture sector in their Nationally Determined Contributions as mandated by the Paris Agreement. This has an impact at national level laws and regulations, which will need to enable a transition towards less carbon intensive and more sustainable food production systems. For example, countries are increasingly legislating to ensure that laws on crop and livestock production, fertilizer use, land use and management, among other issues, take climate change goals into account. More has to be done, though, given the urgency of tackling climate change. The “Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture” program, instituted within the UNFCCC deliberations, has a mandate to further develop methodologies and options to guide countries in this regard.

In addition, the impact of food production in biodiversity is not to be overlooked, and laws and regulations adopted to implement the Convention on Biological Diversity have to take this into consideration. There are many ways in which agriculture can have a lesser impact in the environment, including organic agriculture, conservation agriculture and agroecology. Legislation has an important role in operationalizing many aspects of these approaches to a more sustainable way to farm and produce our food (including regulations, but also incentives).

Sustainable gastronomy, in its socio-cultural aspect, also has a role in ensuring food security and nutrition. Food security refers to the situation where “all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life”. One of the legal aspects of food security is the “right to food”, a human right connected to many other fundamental rights which expresses the right to adequate food, and the right of everyone to be free from hunger. Many countries around the world have adopted food security laws which aim to make it a reality for the population. In many countries, litigation is also an increasing trend to safeguard this right.

On the consumption side, one major challenge is food loss and waste. FAO has highlighted that about one third (!) of all the food produced is lost each year. The causes range from losses at harvesting and packaging stages of food production, to consumption habits that disregard the value of food. Many countries around the world have taken on this challenge by developing legislation to combat food loss and waste. For instance, legislation can prohibit edible food to be thrown away by supermarkets and restaurants and require their recycling or donation; or on the other hand, legislation can remove barriers for the donation of food surpluses and leftovers to charities and those in need. Policies and campaigns can also raise the awareness of consumers on how to behave more responsibly.

In essence, gastronomy is one of the most important aspects of our culture and one of the biggest sectors of our economy. This important day comes to raise our awareness of the impacts that producing our food has, and how we can contribute to making it more sustainable.