Food security and sustainability: two sides of the same coin? | Brunswick Group

Food security and sustainability: two sides of the same coin?

How can the EU ensure food security and sustainability in the future? Part V of our webinar series on navigating the European Green Deal and how businesses can engage in the green transition.

23 June 2022 at 10:30 CEST / 09:30 BST

Brunswick Group and Europe Jacques Delors invite you to join the fifth edition of our webinar series on how businesses can navigate the European Green Deal.

Speakers:

  • Claire Bury, Deputy Director-General, DG SANTE, European Commission
  • Facundo Etchebehere, VP for Global Public Affairs and Corporate Affairs for Essential Dairy & Plant Based, DANONE

 

As the war in Ukraine continues, concerns have been raised about how to best ensure food security in the EU and the rest of the world. At the same time, the European agri-food sector is under a great pressure to reduce its environmental footprint and to decarbonise. This is essential for the EU to reach the European Green Deal's climate and biodiversity targets by 2030, as well as climate neutrality by 2050.

The European Commission has set out a roadmap, the Farm to Fork Strategy, for making the agri-food sector more sustainable. With an emphasis being put on sustainable agricultural production, food processors and retailers are also expected to contribute to the sustainability of the food value chain, for example through the EU Code of Conduct on Responsible Food Business and Marketing Practices. The Farm to Fork Strategy will be implemented through a series of legislative initiatives, including a European food system law in 2023. In addition, proposals on corporate sustainability due diligence and deforestation-free products will require, once adopted, agri-food companies to ensure certain sustainability standards in their supply of agricultural commodities.

Clearly, the transformation of the EU’s agri-food system will only be successful if it addresses and includes all stakeholders along the value chain, while ensuring the security of food supply in the short and long term.

This webinar will examine the role, responsibilities and scope of action of the food industry, and discuss the linkages between environmental action, consumer aspects – including nutrition and health – and food security in a globalised world.

The fifth edition of our webinar series will be hosted and moderated by Geneviève Pons, Director General and Vice President of Europe Jacques Delors, and Pascal Lamy, Vice President of Europe Jacques Delors and Chair of Europe at Brunswick Group.

Claire Bury, Deputy Director-General, DG SANTE, European Commission

Claire Bury is currently Deputy Director-General at DG SANTE, the European Commission’s health and food safety department, where she is responsible for food sustainability, innovation, health and food audits and analysis, as well as crisis preparedness. She was previously Deputy Director at DG CONNECT, the Commission’s department in charge of communications networks, content and technology, where she was responsible for regulatory aspects of the EU’s Digital Single Market. In addition, Claire was director of modernisation of the single market in the Commission’s Internal Market Directorate-General (DG GROW). Before that, she was a Head of Unit responsible for company law, corporate governance and financial crime, and Deputy Head of Cabinet to the EU’s Internal Market Commissioners Charlie McCreevy and Frits Bolkestein. Prior to joining the European Commission, she worked as an assistant legal adviser in the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Claire graduated in law from the University of London, King´s College.

Facundo Etchebehere, VP for Global Public Affairs and Corporate Affairs for Essential Dairy & Plant Based, Danone

Facundo Etchebehere has been Danone’s VP for Global Public Affairs and Corporate Affairs for Essential Dairy & Plant Based since 2019, promoting multi-stakeholder coalitions as generators of positive dialogue in search of solutions to societal challenges, mainly linked to sustainable development. Prior to his current role, he was responsible for the articulation of Danone’s stakeholder engagement strategy. In addition, he served as global public affairs and corporate affairs director, as well as regional director of corporate affairs for Danone Americas. He was also president of the Argentine Advertising Council and secretary of the Professional Council of Public Relations of Argentina.

Facundo holds degrees in economy and political science from the Universidad Católica Argentina in Buenos Aires.