Euro Coop renews endorsement of Food Policy Coalition’s “Food Environments” policy brief

We have renewed our endorsement of the Food Policy Coalition’s updated policy brief titled “Discovering the role of food environments for sustainable food systems”. This builds on our earlier endorsement of the first edition of the brief, published in October 2021.

Since the original 2021 version, the Coalition has advanced its thinking on how food environments—the physical, economic, political and socio-cultural contexts in which people acquire, prepare and consume food—play a central role in shaping sustainable and healthy food systems. 

Why this matters

At Euro Coop, we recognise that sustainability and fairness in food systems depend not only on production or trade, but on how food reaches people: how it is made available, affordable, accessible, desirable and culturally appropriate. The concept of food environments helps to shift focus from an individual-consumer choice model towards structural and systemic enablers of change. 

The policy brief emphasises that food environments are shaped by numerous drivers: commercial, political, technological, infrastructural, demographic and more. For consumer co-operatives such as ours, this recognition is important: our retail operations, purchasing practices, value chain partnerships and community engagement all have a part to play in creating enabling environments where sustainable food choices are feasible, desirable and supported.

Key updates in the 2025 edition

While the 2021 edition laid the groundwork (defining food environments, explaining their relevance to the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy and exploring how to create enabling food environments), the 2025 update further sharpens the focus and expands endorsement across new actors and initiatives. Some of the highlights include:

A refined definition and framework of “food environments” that emphasises the interface between people and the food system. 

Further clarity on how structural factors—such as the role of the middle of the food chain (manufacturers, retailers, food service, marketing) — act as strategic intervention points. 

Emphasis on equity and vulnerability: recognising how some groups face more constrained food environments (for example children, low-income households) and the need for policy that safeguards their right to healthy and sustainable diets. 

A stronger call for policy maker, industry and civil society collaboration to reshape food environments so that “the healthy and sustainable choice becomes the default”. ​