Blog

Have your say on the WWF’s ambitious attempt to overhaul global food systems

A groundbreaking plan to impose a minimum set of environmental standards on globally traded food is open for feedback from businesses and other stakeholders. 

The proposal, developed by the World Wildlife Fund’s Markets Institute and known as the Codex Planetarius, is targeted at less-efficient producers.

Data on food commodities suggests that the least efficient 10-20 percent of producers account for 60-80 percent of agricultural impacts while generating no more than a tenth of global output. Yet, most certification systems focus on the most efficient farmers. “That’s not where the problem is,” said Jason Clay, WWF’s senior vice president for market transformation.

The Codex, which is modeled on the Codex Alimentarius, an international system of food safety standards, proposes that agricultural regions be judged on six indicators of environmental health: habitat loss, biodiversity loss, soil health, water use, water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Should a certain fraction of a region’s output — say 5 percent — fail to meet predetermined minimum scores, the product in question would be barred from export (though it could continue to be traded domestically).

Helping farmers

To help regions with poor scores improve, the Codex has been paired with a partner initiative known as the “1% Solution,” which adds an “environmental service payment” of 1 percent to food exports. The funds generated would go towards helping producers become more efficient, switch to less damaging crops or take other steps to reduce harm. 

The WWF estimates that a 1 percent charge applied in 2022 to just five commodities — beef, hides, corn, cotton and soy — would have generated more than $780 million for farmers in the U.S. and $550 million in Brazil. Because export costs are a relatively small part of retail prices, the levy would have a minor impact on what consumers pay, added Clay. 

The science behind the metrics has been reviewed by researchers working on the project and case studies designed to explore how the metrics could be applied to different countries and crops. The research is available on the Codex website, and the comments period will be open until May 31. “We’re specifically interested in how this would affect companies,” said Clay.

The Codex could be synergistic with existing voluntary schemes, a spokesperson for the Rainforest Alliance, which runs one farmland certification scheme, told Trellis. Public rules can establish minimum expectations, while certification can help producers make progress on sustainability, human rights and other issues. “The ambition behind Codex Planetarius is clear, though implementing it will depend on navigating significant governance, political and coordination challenges,” the spokesperson said.

That will begin with persuading governments to adopt it. Clay imagines starting with bilateral agreements covering specific crops and building from there. One challenge will be ensuring a faster timeline than the project’s inspiration followed: Discussions about the Codex Alimentarius kicked off around 1950, but the commission that runs the standards wasn’t created until the following decade.

The post Have your say on the WWF’s ambitious attempt to overhaul global food systems appeared first on Trellis.