TRAIDE Foundation’s Post

🌍 WTO Panel: Connecting Sustainability, Food Security, and Trade for a Resilient Future 🌍 At the World Trade Organization’s panel on #sustainable #agriculture, Ambassador Guilherme de Aguiar Patriota Guilherme (Brazil) and Chantal Line Carpentier(UNCTAD) discussed the critical role of trade policies in driving sustainability. Luiz Bercelos institutional director of the Brazilian Association of Producers and Exporters of Fruits, highlighted #innovations that reduce the #environmental impact of food production, calling for inclusive policies that empower farmers. The panel emphasized global collaboration to address food security and #climate change, signaling key opportunities for trade reform. More insights here 👇 https://lnkd.in/ed8QdCbK security-and-trade/

🌱 The Importance of Fair Trade in the Vanilla Supply Chain: A Lever for Transparency and Impact 🌍 "Transparency in fair trade means serving as the window between the marginalized artisan and the global customer." – Hala Scandar*  In a demanding industry like vanilla, it is essential to ensure that every player in the chain is valued. At DAGO VANILLA, we believe that fair trade is more than just a label: it is a bridge between producers and global consumers, built on transparency, respect, and equitable value sharing.  💼 Why is Fair Trade essential in the vanilla sector?    1️⃣ Recognition of farmers' work: Our farmers, often from remote communities, operate under challenging conditions. Fair trade ensures they receive fair prices, promoting their well-being and supporting their families.  2️⃣ Empowerment and local development: Fair Trade premiums are reinvested in community projects (schools, infrastructure, access to clean water) that foster sustainable transformations in farming villages.  3️⃣ Environmental preservation: By adhering to ecological and social standards, our practices ensure sustainable farming that respects ecosystems, crucial to Madagascar’s biodiversity.  🔍 Through our Rainforest Alliance certification, we demonstrate our commitment to meeting the highest environmental and social standards. But this is just the beginning. We are determined to deepen our integration of Fair Trade principles at every stage of our supply chain.  🤝 Our mission is clear: to deliver exceptional vanilla quality while ensuring that every pod we export tells a story of justice, equity, and sustainability.  👉 To all businesses, manufacturers, and partners seeking ethical sourcing: let’s work together to make the vanilla industry a showcase for fair trade! Feel free to reach out and explore new collaboration opportunities.  #Fairtrade #SustainableBusiness #Cooperative

Bridging Local Practices to Global Food Standards: A Namibian Supply Chain Perspective. Namibia’s rich indigenous knowledge systems hold untapped potential for building sustainable, transparent food supply chains. By integrating these practices with modern traceability tools like GS1 standards, we can create a supply chain model that meets stringent global regulations, such as the EU’s Green Deal, while preserving our cultural heritage. Imagine mahangu grain, wild marula, or sustainably harvested fish moving through supply chains that guarantee not only quality and traceability but also a story of tradition, sustainability, and innovation. This isn’t just about food—it’s about empowering rural communities, opening global markets for SMEs, and aligning Namibia with the future of sustainable food supply chains. Let’s discuss how we can merge local and global to create resilient supply chains that benefit everyone. #Sustainability #Traceability #FoodSupplyChain #Namibia #IndigenousKnowledge #GlobalStandards #GS1 #SupplyChain

Today Food Network for Ethical Trade held a joint webinar with Sergio Barbera at Spanish Ethical Trade Forum to understand impact of last weeks devastating floods on Spanish supply chains. 🍊 Valencia and the surrounding areas, including Almería and other parts of Andalucía, are responsible for mass production of fresh produce, including more than 60% of Spain's citrus production. 🍊 AVA-ASAJA (Valencian Agricultural Producers’ Association) already confirmed in The Grocer “significant damage” to the region’s crops and operations. The AVA-ASAJA also asserted that they were anticipating thousands of hectares of citrus, persimmons, vegetables, vines, and other crops to have been lost.  🍊 In a few hours, the equivalent of a year's worth of rain fell (over 500L in some locations) and huge hail stones 🍊 65 Affected towns, 345,000 Affected workers, 48,722 Affected companies. Over 215 so far dead, many more made homeless. We are currently jointly working on a list of options on how supply chain partners can help #climateandhumanrights #supplychaindisruption #humanitarianaid

The transition to sustainable food systems was the focus of the international Open Food Conference, which took place in Leuven from 11 to 13 March (www.openfoodconference.eu). The aim? To create more synergy between policy, science, industry and practice. On the last day, Departement Kanselarij en Buitenlandse Zaken organised the workshop 'African and European food systems and the external impacts of food and climate policies' in collaboration with Agentschap Landbouw en Zeevisserij and Departement Economie, Wetenschap en Innovatie (EWI).    The EU is very much interconnected with its African counterpart in terms of trade flows in the food sector, in terms of foreign direct investments in the agri-business and through development cooperation in the agrifood sector. We also share the common priority of feeding our population by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the impact on the environment.     As there are many opportunities for Africa-Europe cooperation on food systems, speakers addressed questions like: Where are the options for cooperation and the areas of tension? What are the governance and policy changes needed to align stronger? More information and conclusions: 📑 https://lnkd.in/ek7sQvCw Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2024 Vlaamse overheid Bitange Ndemo Andrea Alfieri Daniel Adeoluwa Adeniyi, PhD Adriana Opromolla Koen Dekeyser #Openfoodconference  #EU2024BE  #EU2024Flanders

🌱The recently launched #plantourfuture campaign from the European Alliance for Plant-based Foods urges the EU to prioritise rebalancing and diversifying Europe’s food system in the newly embarked upon legislative cycle. The manifesto highlights 6 key focus areas to help deliver this: 🔬Increased funding for research and development to scale-up production and boost European competitiveness, and support the proliferation of a diverse range of plant-based products that can compete with conventional offerings on taste and price. 🏷️Develop clear labelling standards with transparent product information to help consumers make sustainable choices. 🚜Work with farmers and support them in navigating the transition to a more sustainable food system. 🏫Encourage expanded public procurement of plant-based foods. 🎓Educate consumers on the sustainability of the food system. 🏛️Clarify the political direction and policy framework through a sustainable food systems law. Check out the full manifesto on the EAPF website here:https://lnkd.in/dg8S77eT #EU #Europe #foodsystem

The #WorldCocoaConference which took place in Brussels this week gave a story of both hope and urgency. Beyond Chocolate Program Manager Charles Snoeck spoke on behalf of the ISCOs in the panel “The quest for the living income of smallholder farmers: why we are stuck and how can we fix it?” Conclusion of the panel: 𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐤 🍫Living income is no longer peripheric but a central objective of cocoa stakeholders.    🍫We are finally talking about price! 🍫We are seeing stronger multistakeholder collaboration (ISCOs, Economic pact,...). 🍫Producing countries are taking ownership, for example through the Côte d'Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Initiative. 🍫A regulatory framework on deforestation and human rights is now in place. HOWEVER 𝐖𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬. Key drivers for success are: 🍫Trust and transparency between cocoa stakeholders. 🍫Stability for cocoa farmers. Beyond Chocolate will continue to contribute to these goals by increasing accountability in the Belgian chocolate sector and by guiding stakeholder to implement holistic living income strategies. As such, the initiative together with the other national initiatives for sustainable cocoa in Europe has published a statement on sustainable procurement: https://lnkd.in/eej5iPZa Ministry of Foreign Affairs Belgium IDH German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa Mark de Waard Karen Janssens Koen Van Troos Wouter Vandersypen Philippe de Selliers de Moranville Ricardo Romero Perezgrovas Anne Widart Alexia Herwig #livingincome #BeyondChocolate

Sad news for the future of the SFS Law 🛑 A few days ago commissioner-designate for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen, announced he will not propose any new legislation during his term. This decision effectively halts the release of the Sustainable Food Systems law, affecting also the establishment of new rules for sustainable public procurement of food. 💡 Public procurement is a key tool to tackle many critical challenges, from malnutrition and food insecurity, to climate change and the working condition of farmers. 📌 It is now more important than ever to show your support and endorse our Sustainable Food Procurement Manifesto, developed together with the EU FPC, which calls for the establishment of Minimum Mandatory Criteria for Public Canteens across the EU to guarantee healthy, fair and sustainable food Learn more 👉 https://lnkd.in/dnrV9eYj Eating City Fondazione Ecosistemi IFOAM Organics Europe Skutečně zdravá škola Mensa Cívica ICLEI Europe European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) Organic Cities Network Europe EU Food Policy Coalition

Why does the recent Court of Justice of the European Union ruling which allows #plantbased foods to keep using familiar names like "burger" and "steak" matter for innovation and competitiveness? 👇 By letting plant-based products compete on equal terms, we remove barriers for new, more sustainable options. Familiar names make it easier for consumers to shift towards sustainable choices without confusion. (It should be remembered that data repeatedly shows consumers are not confused and that the court also stated that current EU laws are enough to protect them). 🚀 This decision also strengthens the EU’s competitiveness, something repeatedly called on by the recent #Draghi report. Supporting plant-based innovation can help position Europe as a sustainable and healthy food system leader, while helping hit climate targets, boost industry growth and create jobs.

Consumers Unwilling to Pay Up for Sustainable Food, JBS Says ==> one way for Australians to eat more sustainable food is to kick JBS out of Australia. If our international customers are currently willing to pay premium prices for the Australian constitutionally protected water rights that is being taxed by foreign private equity investors, then they will be prepared to pay the same price for sustainable beef that's grown using Australian water rights that foreigners can no longer tax, once our exclusive constitutional rights are restored.