TOWARDS A COMMON AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD POLICY: SUSTAINABIILITY CHALLENGES

Abstract

The Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union has been widely known for more
than 60 years. The aim of this joint policy is to ensure an adequate supply of food, given that after
the war and years of hunger, people could not adequately enjoy the presence of a variety of foods.
Current food systems are characterized by the overproduction of processed foods with low nutrient
content. This has contributed to unhealthy and unbalanced diets across the EU, leading to a range
of health risks, especially for poorer population groups. The EU's food and agricultural systems
require a fundamental change of direction in light of the serious, interconnected and systemic
economic, environmental and health challenges they face. Today, Common Agricultural Policy
supports the European Union single market for agricultural food products, ensures affordable
prices, keeps rural communities vital and high environmental standards. Unfortunately, climate
change, the emission of harmful gases, wars, and epidemics have a negative impact on agricultural
production, which calls into question the quality and safety of food as well as people's health. In
order to meet new global expectations, new CAP should be transformed into a CAFP (Common
Agricultural and Food Policy) that aims to strengthen the resilience of the entire food chain,
recognizing the changed power relations in the chain and the interaction between consumption and
production. The aim of this work is to point out the efforts that the Common Agricultural Policy to
make quality and healthy food available to everyone. Therefore, this paper will cover topics related
to the quality and safety of agricultural food products, their impact on human health, towards a
Common Agricultural and Food Policy.