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Greenpeace slams certification schemes, inciting criticism: ‘The NGO is using palm oil as cannon-fodder to sway EU lawmakers’ By Flora Southey The environmental NGO says many certification schemes – covering palm, soy, and timber – enable ‘destructive business to continue as usual’. Palm Oil Monitor has fought back, questioning Greenpeace’s motives: ‘Make no mistake, this is an attack on palm oil.’
Certification alone has not helped companies meet their 2020 pledges to eradicate deforestation from their supply chains.
This is the premise of Greenpeace’s
‘Destruction: Certified’ report, published earlier this week, which analysed certification labels on cocoa, coffee, biofuels, palm oil, soy and wood.
Who are the winners and losers of mandatory country of origin labelling? FoodNavigator hears from supporters and sceptics of the initiative less than two years out from the European Commission’s proposal.
The European Commission plans to have proposed mandatory country of origin labelling for an extended range of food products by Q4 2022.
This could see rice, potatoes, and durum wheat used in pasta subjected to origin indication laws, alongside the products currently required to adhere, such as fruit and vegetables, honey, olive oil, eggs, fish, and beef.
It has been suggested that consumers have much to gain from such regulation. The same cannot be said for all food players, according to industry representatives, who are pushing back against the motion.
Organic sales are on the rise in Europe. But, for some consumers, the price premium charged by the sector acts as a barrier. According to Alara Wholefoods founder Alex Smith, organic manufacturers need to make ‘affordability part of the conversation’.
The European market for organic food continues to grow. According to FiBL, the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, sales reached €45bn in 2019 with a growth rate of 8% in the region. In the decade 2010-2019, the European market value has more than doubled, the organisation noted.
Increased farmland dedicated to organic production also follows this upward trajectory. Between 2010 and 2017, organic farmland increased by 70%, data from Eurostat demonstrates.
Is country of origin labelling a question of sustainability? Europeans want to know more about where their food comes from. Would mandatory country of origin labelling mean consumers make more sustainable food choices?
The European Commission is working on a proposal that could see mandatory origin labelling extended to more food products across the bloc.
Some stakeholders have interpreted this potential increase in regulation a triumph for sustainability, and an opportunity for responsible famers to create value.
Others, however, are wary of associating origin labelling with sustainability. They argue that suggesting a link is ‘mixing up concepts’, and that ‘locally-produced’ does not necessarily mean ‘more environmentally-friendly’.