Page 20 - FAO-IPCC Expert meeting on climate change

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Policy
Theme 2.
Policy options for food demand and sustainable consumption
KEY MESSAGES
Addressing food demand and sustainable consumption requires a holistic approach based on robust data, scenarios and models that integrate food demand, dietary and nutrition preferences, food waste drivers and macropolicies such as trade.
Interaction between land prices and competition for other land-based products and services, such as feed and fuel production and carbon sequestration, need to be comprehensively examined to inform the effectiveness of alternative policy instruments.
There is an important data gap regarding: (i) how much food is lost at each stage of the food supply chain;
(ii) how climate change may affect these losses; (iii) estimates of GHG emissions resulting from food storage and transportation; (iv) the efficiency and success of various food waste reduction policies.
More in depth analyses need to look at the role of certification (including business-to-business certification) to better understand the role of socio-economic as well as psychological drivers that shape consumer choice.
There is a growing literature on food chain carbon, water and other footprints and there is a need for comprehensive meta-analysis to draw robust conclusions and identify the most effective context-specific targets for intervention.
We need better data on a range of environmental footprints and consumer behaviour analyses to devise policies to incentivize healthier and more climate-friendly diets.
Food waste and loss reduction policies should offer guidance on food surplus management so that food stocks can serve as a buffer in time of production shock; countries and companies need to capture and report more data on food loss and waste.
Clearly communicate science-based evidence in support of local production and consumption (“food miles”) and urban agriculture and their impact on food security and climate mitigation.
FAO-IPCC Expert meeting on climate change, land use and food security