Press Release: Action Week 2021
International campaign calls for radical change in food system to end exploitation in agriculture
The international campaign “Our Food. Our Future” has just launched with a Europe-wide action week from 9th to 16th October. The NGO alliance is exposing problems in food supply chains and calls for a strong EU supply chain law – to protect the rights of women and migrant workers in particular.
11.10.2021, Münster/Europe – The global food system is in an alarming state: nearly every food item in European supermarkets contains “invisible ingredients” – the ignored human and environmental costs of food production, where human rights have been violated and the environment overexploited. Women, migrant workers, and smallholders are among those most affected by harmful business practices along food supply chains facing discrimination and exploitation every day. The international campaign “Our Food. Our Future,” involving 23 organizations from the EU, South Africa and Brazil, is calling for a radical reform of the food system for fair agricultural supply chains. The long-awaited draft for a European supply chain law on mandatory Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (mHREDD), which is to be submitted to the EU Commission by the end of October, could set the course for justice.
We need ambitious laws to protect humans and nature
The “Our Food. Our Future” alliance is therefore calling for pressure to be exerted on the EU Commission to prevent a further postponement of the submission of the drafted law. The responsible EU Commissioners Didier Reynders, Thierry Breton, and Commission Vice President Věra Jourová are urged to submit an ambitious proposal. “The food system is a major driver of global problems like climate change and forced migration. That’s why we need strong European supply chain legislation NOW that protects people and the environment from the harmful business practices of global corporations.” says Dominik Gross, officer for human rights in agricultural supply chains at Christliche Initiative Romero (CIR). “An ambitious law must include the entire supply chain of companies and, above all, include civil liability!”
Mark invisible ingredients in the food we eat
Since the start of the action week on October 9, action stickers have been marking the invisible ingredients in supermarket products all over Europe and drawing attention to the problems along global food supply chains – from deforestation to exploitation to land grabbing. A QR code on the sticker leads interested consumers and supporters to the protest mail action for a strong EU supply chain law: Foodtest – Our Food Our Future (ourfood-ourfuture.eu).
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Dominik Groß, Campaigner for "Our Food. Our Future", Christliche Romero Initiative (CIR) - Germany