Webinar Held on Food System

Barilla Food and Nutrition Foundation (BCFN) brought together representatives from the agriculture and food sectors and academics at a new international digital event. At the webinar titled "Post-COVID-19: Time to Fix the Global Food System," participants discussed the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on agriculture and the food sector, as well as ways to repair the increasingly fragile global food system due to rising demand. The meeting also marked the first time the "10 Steps from Farm to Table" proposal, designed to enable a more sustainable lifestyle for our future, was shared with participants. The Barilla Food and Nutrition Foundation (BCFN) held an important webinar with leading figures from the sector and academia at a time when food has become increasingly important in our lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the international webinar titled "Post-COVID-19: Time to Fix the Global Food System," experts explained the extent to which the pandemic affected the food sector. Details on how our food production, distribution and consumption practices could be improved in light of a long-term sustainable approach were discussed with participants.

"Social Isolation Led to Increased Food Loss"

Marta Antonelli, Head of Research at BCFN, sharing details on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food sector, stated: "While producers continued their operations by taking protective measures, disruptions occurred in the food supply chain due to the decline in seasonal workforce. Large fluctuations in food prices heavily affected low-income countries and countries dependent on food imports, while small landholding farmers saw declines in their capital. In addition, there was an increase in food loss due to social isolation and logistics disruptions. When evaluating the virus's impact on the demand chain, the rise in food prices severely negatively affected low-income families' access to food. Due to the difficulty in accessing nutritious and healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables, processed food consumption increased and food hoarding triggered waste," he stated.

"COVID-19 Can Bring Innovative Solutions to Our Lives"

Emphasizing the importance of people rediscovering their approach to food, nutrition and health during the pandemic period, Marta Antonelli said: "We need to make changes in our lifestyles and preferences. COVID-19 also presents us with positive opportunities to bring healthy and innovative solutions to our lives. We believe that reviewing our food and nutrition choices during this process will also accelerate our progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals," he stated.

"10 Steps from Farm to Table"

At the webinar, which emphasized that the time to take action to fix the food system has come, the proposal document titled "10 Steps from Farm to Table" was shared with participants. The ten sustainable steps from farm to table outlined in the document are: Improving nutrition and food standards and creating more advanced terminology, Improving measurement systems, Encouraging businesses to prioritize sustainability and health, Digitalization of agriculture and food systems, Determining true food costs, Developing seed security, diversity and soil regeneration activities, Encouraging all actors in the sector to take action, Increasing education and awareness campaigns on sustainable food and nutrition, Enabling and encouraging sustainable and healthy nutrition models, Developing global resilience.