Klima-, Energi- og Forsyningsudvalget 2024-25
KEF Alm.del Bilag 425
Offentligt
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Background Note:
“Transforming the EU’s food
systems
–
can plant-based foods and biosolutions
enhance food security and resilience?”
The EU is a key global producer of agricultural products and it has a positive
agricultural trade balance. Farming and food, including fisheries, are strategic
sectors for the EU, supplying safe, high-quality food to 450 million Europe-
ans, while also supporting global food security.
1
However, as emphasised by both the European Commission and the study
entitled
The Dependency
of the EU’s
Food System on Inputs and their
Sources,
commissioned by the European Parliament
2
, Europe is dependent
on the import of some key products and, in some cases, these originate from
a limited number of third-country suppliers. While the overall availability of
food in the EU is not considered to be at risk, the EU’s dependency
on a lim-
ited number of third-country suppliers for certain products represents a strate-
gic vulnerability.
The EU’s dependency
on imported inputs is particularly significant in the case
of animal products (e.g. soybean meal for livestock feed) and cereals, which
are dependent on the import of raw materials and energy to produce fertilis-
ers
3
. Among other countries, Russia and Belarus account for a substantial
share of the EU’s fertiliser imports.
As highlighted in the
European Commission’s
Vision for Agriculture and
Food,
geopolitical tensions, recent crises, extreme weather events, environ-
mental degradation, and structural changes are threatening the viability of the
sector and the EU’s strategic autonomy. “Dependencies
are becoming vul-
nerabilities,”
4
as Mario Draghi has pointed out.
The Niinistö Report
5
on the strengthening of
Europe’s civil and military pre-
paredness and readiness also recognises food as one of the sectors that is
most critical to maintaining essential services to citizens.
The upcoming reform of the
EU’s
Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) pre-
sents an opportunity to further reduce the EU’s strategic
dependencies and
1
2
”A
Vision for Agriculture and Food”, European Commission -
Com(2025)0075.
The Dependency
of the EU’s
Food System on Inputs and their Sources.
Research for the AGRI
Committee | Think Tank | European Parliament
–
March 2024.
3
The Dependency
of the EU’s
Food System on Inputs and their Sources
4
The Draghi Report on Competitiveness
-September 2024
5
Niinistö, S.,
Safer together
– Strengthening Europe’s Civilian and Military Preparedness and
Page 1 | 4
Readiness,
2024.
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strengthen European food security. As EU Commissioner Christophe Hansen
stated when presenting the proposal on 16 July 2025:
“The
CAP is an anchor
of European food security”.
Bio-solutions, plant-based foods and food security
As part of this reflection, bio-solutions and the plant-based consumption and
production of food have the potential to help strengthen the
EU’s food secu-
rity across the entire food chain.
Through a combination of innovation and traditional knowledge, bio-solutions
and plant-based foods offer significant potential to drive the transformation of
the EU’s food system.
They can contribute towards increasing demand for
healthier foods, improving animal welfare, contributing to the decarbonisation
of the agri-food sector, and futureproofing the sector to ensure it can exist in
harmony with nature. Such a transformation could provide new business op-
portunities for farmers and the broader agri-food sector while also inspiring a
new generation of agri-food entrepreneurs.
According to the European Commission, the use of bio-solutions, such as
new genomic techniques (NGTs), are key to accelerating the development of
climate-change-resilient, resource-efficient, nutritious and high-yield varieties
of crops, which can contribute to the EU’s food security and food sover-
eignty
6
. The Council and the European Parliament are currently seeking to
reach a compromise around
the European Commission’s proposal to regu-
late NGTs.
While the current CAP offers some options for supporting an increase in
plant-based food production
7
, production could also benefit from an ambitious
common European policy. Recently, several key European stakeholders, as
part of a strategic dialogue with the European Commission, recommended
that the Commission prepare an EU Action Plan for Plant-Based Foods
ahead of 2026 with a view to strengthening the plant-based agri-food chains
from farmers all the way to consumers
8
.
………………………
6
7
A Vision for Agriculture and Food
–
Com(2025)0075.
Danish Action Plan for Plant Based Food
–
Ministery of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries of Den-
mark https://en.fvm.dk/Media/638484294982868221/Danish-Action-Plan-for-Plant-based-
Foods.pdf
8
“Strategic
Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture
–
A Shared Prospect for Farming and Food
in Europe”
–
September 2024.
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Plant-Based Food
The term plant-based food covers all foods derived from plants, as well
as edible fungi, algae and nutritious microorganisms. The term plant-
based food can also include enzymes and other non-animal ingredients
that are suitable for human consumption.
(Source: Danish Action Plan for Plant-Based Foods, October 2023)
Bio-Solutions
Bio-solutions are an interdisciplinary field focused on harnessing biolog-
ical systems
–
such as enzymes, proteins, and bacteria
–
at an indus-
trial scale. These solutions can enhance the taste, nutrition and shelf
life of plant-based foods, while also reducing the climate and environ-
mental impact of food production.
(Source: Danish Action Plan for Plant-Based Foods, October 2023)
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Guiding questions for the discussion:
•
In what specific ways can plant-based foods and bio-solutions en-
hance the EU’s global competitiveness and reduce import depend-
ency? What are the main barriers to achieving this, and what should
an EU action plan for plant-based foods aim to deliver?
The strategic dialogue encourages the EU and its Member States to
adopt demand-side policies that cover the entire food system and
make healthy, sustainable diets more available, accessible, afforda-
ble and attractive. What could be the key elements of such policies?
From a business perspective, what is the potential of innovative
plant-based foods and bio-solutions, and what are the key barriers
that businesses face today? And, in this regard, what support or pol-
icy changes are needed to unlock this potential and scale up sustain-
able solutions?
What challenges do the current EU regulatory frameworks, particu-
larly the Common Agricultural Policy, pose to the development of
plant-based foods and bio-solutions? And what should a future CAP
focus on in order to better support sustainable and innovative food
production?
•
•
•
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