This lecture (in English) is organized as part of the Chair P.W. Segers, which hosts an annual public lecture around the time of Rerum Novarum, offering critical insights on current social issues.
Food equity
Across Europe, food system transformations are becoming a central pillar of climate policy. Initiatives such as the European Green Deal, the Farm to Fork Strategy, and national climate plans call for rapid shifts toward sustainable production and consumption.
These shifts are essential to address environmental, climate, and public health challenges. However, they may also create or exacerbate social and ecological injustices.
For example, stricter rules for sustainable farming can be particularly challenging for farmers, especially smaller-scale farmers. Sustainable or organic products also tend to be more expensive, making them less accessible to people on lower incomes.
That is why it is important to carefully consider the implications for justice. Only then can we ensure that the transition to a more sustainable food system is also equitable and inclusive.
Developing a practical assessment tool
Researchers view justice in food systems as a concept with six distinct yet interrelated dimensions:
- Who receives the benefits and who carries the burdens?
- Who has a voice in decision-making and how inclusive and transparent are the processes?
- Whose identities, knowledge, and needs are acknowledged or overlooked?
- How are past harms addressed, compensated, or repaired?
- How do today’s decisions affect future generations?
- How are non-human beings and ecosystems affected and protected?
Nevertheless, there is still a lack of practical tools to assess these dimensions in concrete projects and policies.
In this contribution, Erik Mathijs presents an evaluation tool that translates these six dimensions into concrete questions and indicators. It helps researchers and policymakers to think systematically about justice, to make informed choices, and to compare interventions in food systems.
In this way, the tool supports more transparent and equitable decision-making and contributes to a food system that aligns more closely with the EU’s ambition for a just and inclusive climate transition.
About Erik Mathijs
Erik Mathijs is the director of the Sustainable Food Economies Research Group (SFERE) and a professor of agricultural and resource economics at KU Leuven.
He obtained both his MSc in Bioscience Engineering and his PhD in Agricultural Economics from the same university. His research focuses on the practices, metrics, and policies that support the transition toward a sustainable and resilient European agricultural and food system.
He has held several international expert roles, including serving as rapporteur (2011) and chair (2015) of the Foresight Exercises of the EU’s Standing Committee on Agricultural Research. From 2016 to 2019, he chaired the Scientific Council of the Agropolis Foundation in Montpellier. In 2020, he held the Francqui Chair at UC Leuven. More recently, he contributed to the EU expert group on sustainable food systems (2020) and chaired the expert group on sustainable food consumption (2023) within the European Commission’s Scientific Advice Mechanism.
Chair P.W. Segers
The Chair P.W. Segers was established in memory of the social leader and Minister of State Paul-Willem Segers (1900–1983).
Every year around the time of Rerum Novarum, the chair takes a critical and independent look at social, economic and political issues in Belgium, Europe and beyond.
