Appeal to parliament: choose sustainable food transition

Waddinxveen/ The Hague, 4 July 2017 - The Dutch government to be, which is still in the process of formation after the March elections, must choose for a transition to a truly sustainable food system. That is the plea of 45 prominent companies, universities and NGO’s in a Food Transition Manifesto, which was presented to the Dutch House of Parliament today. Several entrepreneurs signed the manifesto, including Volkert Engelsman CEO of Eosta, but also DSM and Heineken. The manifesto builds on earlier commitments of the Netherlands to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and the climate targets of Paris.

Volkert Engelsman was in The Hague today to witness the presentation of the manifesto. He commented: “The FAO has calculated that our current food system causes 4.8 billion euro in external cost worldwide, which are diverted to the tax payer and future generations. Our current food policies facilitate that mechanism. It's now time to create a level playing field for sustainable entrepreneurs. Organic is not too expensive, conventional is too cheap. I make an urgent appeal to the political parties to create policies that reward our proactive contributions to the realisation of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.”

The manifesto can be read here (only in Dutch):  https://agriprofocus.com/voedselmanifest