Food for thought as G20 countries suck it up
After some good progress initially, G20 nations are struggling to push through on their sustainability commitments and must do more or risk an even bigger crisis in years to come, according to a new index.
The Food Sustainability Index (FSI) is a ranking which assesses how countries approach food sustainability and resilience in the face of climate change. It also aims to examine the health and inclusiveness of localised food operations relative to the wider ecosystem.
The report suggests current policies, projects and innovation lacked leadership and prevented new solutions from emerging. Experts featured in the latest FSI insist that there is significant room for improvement as G20 nations – including England, France, Germany, India, South Africa and Australia – are not dynamically addressing issues relating to the three pillars of food waste, sustainable agriculture and nutrition.
Indeed, half of the G20 countries have still yet to introduce any binding legislation to fight food waste, and none of them have any credible monitoring mechanisms. Meanwhile, of the member states, only Canada and Japan finished within the top quartile for all three assessment criteria.
Overall, the index concluded that the majority of G20 states needed to make significant strides in the near future, especially as recent events had brought climate change into much sharper focus.
