Food and agriculture policy | TableDebates

Two farm workers picking strawberries in a field. Photo by Tim Mossholder via Unsplash.

Journal articles

Prioritizing labor in food systems governance work

This study explores the observed lack of recognition of labour issues within Canadian food systems governance work (the various laws, policies, and regulations that shape food systems) and seeks to identify barriers to their inclusion in future work. The authors broadly find a lack of capacity within CSOs in Canada to address food and farm workers’ issues. The authors conclude by examining potential pathways to aid food system CSOs to consider the potential benefit of investing and participating in food systems governance work to foster stronger engagement in labour issues.

A map of Colombia with a green gradient filter on top.

Naturaleza, Ganadería y Alimentación: Reflexiones desde Colombia sobre los debates de los sistemas alimentarios

Este artículo de blog hace parte de la expansión de TABLE hacia América Latina (en donde se llama MESA) y tiene como objetivo reflexionar sobre cómo los asuntos abordados por el tema Naturaleza de MESA están presentes o no en los debates sobre sistemas alimentarios en Colombia, qué diferencias existen, y que otros asuntos o ángulos están presentes en el país.Sobre el autor: Camilo se unió a MESA en Diciembre de 2023 como parte del equipo de la Universidad de Los Andes (Escuela de Gobierno) en Colombia. Cuenta con un pregrado en Economía, una Maestría en Estudios del Desarrollo y otra Maestría en Agroecología.

Image of graffiti on a wall in Almeria, written in Spanish, 'no hay mejor regalo que el futuro' - there is no better gift than the future

The hidden cost of Europe’s affordable food: a story of informality and resilience

Affordable food, particularly fresh produce, is a key feature of food system goals in the EU, but the provision of year-round fresh fruit and vegetables relies on a growing system that offers little stability to its workers. Researcher María Alonso Martínez asks what we can learn from the resilience of the workers in this community, and how to reconcile affordability with the precarity it seems to require. María Alonso Martínez is Junior Officer in Circular Development at the ICLEI World Secretariat. This research was carried out at Wageningen University & Research, Netherlands.

A flyer for the new TABLE blog "Nature, livestock & UPF: Reflections on food systems debates from Colombia" by Camilo Ardila Galvis.

Nature, Livestock & UPF: Reflections on food systems debates from Colombia

This blog entry is part of TABLE´s expansion to the Americas, and it aims to reflect on how the topics covered in TABLE´s Nature theme are present or not in the debate around food systems in Colombia, what the differences are, and what other topics or angles exist in the country.About the author: Camilo joined TABLE in December 2023 as part of the team at the University of Los Andes (School of Government) in Colombia. He holds a BA in Economics, MA in Development Studies and MSc in Agroecology.

Letterbox, is the UPF concept useful and for what goals

Series 5: Is the Ultra-processed Food (UPF) concept useful, and for what goals?

It is hard to open a newspaper or lifestyle magazine now without finding the concept of ‘ultra-processed food’ somewhere mentioned. Based on the idea that not only a product’s content but the processes involved in its manufacture determine its health value, UPF has captured public attention. How useful is the classification, and what can its use achieve? In this TABLE Letterbox Exchange, Rob Percival, Anthony Warner and Mike Rayner were asked to consider in their debate i) the multiple understandings of the UPF concept, ii) the context and conditions of its successful or unsuccessful use, and iii) the relative goals and outcomes of i) and ii). The Letterbox will feature a total of nine letters. Read more about the origins and terms of the concept in TABLE’s UPF Explainer.

Image of corporate logos from various food companies.

News and resources

Prisoner's labour in the US linked to hundreds of popular food brands

The Associated Press has recently reported on links between US prison force labour and major food brands such as Coca-Cola and Frosted Flakes, which are on the shelves of retailers such as Aldi, Target, and Whole Foods. The AP cites that Cargill, Bunge, Louis Dreyfus, Archer Daniels Midland and Consolidated Grain have all purchased millions of dollars worth of soy, corn, and wheat harvested by prisoners. This also directly competes with sales for local farmers.

Front cover of book titled Brexit and Agriculture

Brexit and Agriculture

This book, written by Ludivine Petetin and Mary Dobbs, dives into free trade agreements for standards across the UK’s four nations and levies a critique of the policy efforts post-Brexit as the nations transition away from the Common Agricultural Policy. It is relevant to agri-food stakeholders and policymakers in various sectors both within the UK and abroad.

Cover of the SLU-TABLE publication "Exploring the future of meat" (2024)

Exploring the future of meat: Navigating complex topics for better decision making

This report draws on insights gleaned from putting together the project "The future of meat – storytelling and dialogues for improved decision making" from 2021-2023, integrating lessons from expert interviews, podcast production, and facilitated workshops.

Front cover of report titled: Certified Exploitation: How Equitable Food Initiative and Fair Trade USA fail to protect farmworkers in the Mexican Produce industry. Image contains a man in a red hoodie standing in a strawberry field.

Certified Exploitation: how equitable food initiative and fair trade USA fail to protect farmworkers in the Mexican produce industry

This report from the Corporate Accountability Lab explores how American fair trade organisations protect the image of corporations more than the rights of their workers by analysing case studies on horticultural farms in Mexico.