Focus areas

The goal is to build an innovation platform that addresses the challenges of shifting towards sustainable, healthy, accessible, palatable and affordable diets for everyone.

To successfully assist in making the necessary dietary shifts, we, who are active in the food system, have the knowledge and interest, need to ensure that there are products available on the market for consumers are sustainable. More innovation needs to be implemented to ensure that the sustainable alternatives meet the demands of consumers.

To increase the availability of sustainable food we need to lower the risk for farmers and primary producers to transition. The responsibility for transition needs to be supported by the whole value chain. We need to find new incentive mechanisms to create a stable demand of sustainable food, produced within the planetary boundaries.

To take read more of our perspective more in detail, please continue here below.

Increased transparency and open access to climate data

While extensive climate databases exist, accessing them is often costly, restricting database-use primarily to larger organizations that have resources and capacity. This financial barrier limits the ability of smaller producers and stakeholders to make informed decisions based on comprehensive climate data. Open access to climate databases may be a lever to enhance the transparency across the food system. However, as the creation and maintenance of these extensive datasets require both resources and time, there needs to be strategic long-term plans that valuate and support the continuous governance of such a resource.

Greater alignment in measuring climate impact

Creating standardized climate databases is challenging due the great complexity of the Swedish food system. Various methods of production and the inability to properly account for certain environmental impacts make it difficult to capture consistent and comprehensive data that reflects the true impact of food production. This complexity is further increased when considering imported goods, adding layers of variability due to different production practices and transport emissions. The absence of a comprehensive overview challenges our ability to accurately assess how the Swedish food system operates within planetary boundaries. Further, understanding how different environmental factors interact and their combinatory impact on planetary boundaries requires more research and comprehensive data.

Reduce the risk or producers to implement sustainable production practices

Lowering the impact of domestic production is part of achieving a Swedish food system within planetary boundaries. However, new practices and the uncertainty related to emerging markets may pose a financial risk. The adoption of new practices and crops take years, without a guarantee of market demands at the end. To encourage primary producers to adopt sustainable methods, it is essential to support upscaling, as well as develop and demonstrate new business models. For instance, designing new incentives and risk mitigation programs could provide a safety net for primary producers. This may help reduce their risk aversion and enhance their willingness to innovate. Further, the market needs to adequately signal the benefits of a sustainable transition and compensate primary producers for the co-benefits their sustainable practices provide, such as climate mitigation and important ecosystem services.

Simplify for sustainable food to reach the market

Increase the support structure related to upscaling from idea to final product for sustainable food to reach the market more rapidly. Including supporting activities, such as including them in dietary recommendations and facilitate labeling, that creates consumer demand and market food within planetary boundaries.

Increase circularity

Increase the ability to measure, access and compare climate impact

Simplified consumer guidance

For Swedish consumers, understanding and making sustainable food choices is not an easy task. The vast amount of sustainability labels, each with different criteria, creates confusion and uncertainty, leading to a fatigue over identifying the most sustainable and healthy choice. In addition, the emergent issue of greenwashing across different sectors, where companies exaggerate the environmental benefits of their products, may create distrust and further complicate informed decision-making. Rather than adding to an already saturated food labeling landscape, new initiatives around standardizing and simplifying food information for impactful communication are critical. Promising proposals for new legislative frameworks from the EU might contribute to mitigate this issue (EU Farm to Fork Strategy, 2023).

Financial tools and political will to stimulate the market

In order to lower the financial risk of such a transition, it's crucial that we strategically target subsidies and tax policies in a sustainable direction (e.g., renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and green technologies etc.). One strategy could be implementing a "grön skatteväxling" (green tax shift), which involves adjusting taxes and VAT to discourage activities that harm the environment while encouraging sustainable practices. But there needs to be a balance. This approach may not only incentivize businesses and consumers to make eco-friendly choices but also help internalize the true environmental costs of goods and services. Further, political leadership is also essential; one that sets ambitious sustainability targets and mobilizing resources towards a common goal. Creating space for public-private partnerships in food production may be one way to create a supportive environment for sustainable development.

Agile policy and regulation to foster innovation

Policies and regulations need to be flexible and adaptive to foster innovation. While strict regulations help control risks and ensure safety standards, they can also pose challenges for developing and introducing new products or technologies. Developing regulatory frameworks that can quickly adapt to new scientific findings and technological advancements is essential for keeping regulations relevant and effective. Policies that incentivize innovation in sustainable practices, including funding for research and development, regulatory sandboxes, and fast-tracking approval for new technologies, can drive progress. Continuous dialogue with stakeholders could ensure that policies become more responsive to the challenges and opportunities within the food system, making them increasingly effective and inclusive. Furthermore, there needs to be room and opportunity for smaller actors to take part in the market, without scaling up and generating revenue before entering.