Stockholm, Sweden, June 10, 2018//-Johan Rockström, Executive Director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre and EAT Board of Trustees member says with just 12 years to achieve the world’s most ambitious development targets the UN Sustainable Development Goals, there is an urgent need to transform the food systems in order to be placed on a path that will support a healthy world population and planet.
“Achieving this will require unprecedented collaboration where we as a global community must work differently and across boundaries, borders and practices,” he made the call in a press statement to officially open this EAT Stockholm Food Forum.
“Feeding a healthy diet to a future population of almost 10 billion by 2050 in a sustainable and inclusive way represents a monumental challenge, but it is within our reach.”
The key aim of the two-day forum is to strengthen existing partnerships and forge new collaborations across a broad range of sectors and groups to compel science-led action, focusing on five main areas: shifting toward healthy diets, sustainably managing lands and oceans, eliminating food loss and waste, technology that’s transforming our food system and recipes for better yields and better nutrition, Mr Rockström noted.
According to Dr.Gunhild A. Stordalen, the Executive Chair and Founder of EAT said: “The annual forum brings together experts and leaders who confront these challenges head-on based on the latest science, asking difficult but necessary questions that will have us radically rethinking our approach to food systems”.
Despite trade-offs, there are multiple synergies and potential mutual benefits that could be unlocked by an integrated food system approach”, he added.
Isabella Lövin, the Minister for International Development Cooperation and Climate and Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden also reiterated the need to host EAT Stockholm Food Forum which would consequently bring about crucial solutions.
She said: “We look forward to co-hosting this year’s EAT Stockholm Food Forum, which is a key meeting ground for sharing new findings, knowledge and solutions that will help us reach our goals.”
“As a global community, we have committed to eradicating hunger and delivering healthy and sustainable food for all through the UN’s sustainable development goals and the Paris Agreement”, Madam Isabella stated.
She added that, hunger is again on the rise globally, affecting more than 800 million people, according to the latest United Nations assessments.
According to her, the setback is caused by an increase in armed conflicts and climate change and in parallel overweight and obesity continues to increase, impacting more than 2 billion children and adults.
Unhealthy diets have become a leading risk factor for disease globally and the main driver of the epidemic of chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
The Government of Sweden is hosting experts and leaders in policy, science and business at the fifth annual EAT Stockholm Food Forum, starting from June 11-12, in Stockholm, Sweden to deliberate on prevailing challenges facing food and find sustainable solutions to them.
The forum for the first time is jointly hosted by EAT and the Government of Sweden.
This year’s edition will therefore be the biggest EAT Stockholm Food Forum to date, which will bring together over 600 delegates from more than 50 countries, according to the organsers.
Speakers of the forum
This year’s Speakers will include experts from government, cities, business, academia, philanthropy, the culinary community and civil society, including Mission 2020 leader Christiana Figueres, an architect of the historic Paris Climate Agreement; Kristalina Georgieva, CEO of the World Bank; Gilbert F. Houngbo, president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development; Sunny Verghese, co-founder and group CEO of Olam International; Sam Kass, former White House chef and policy advisor for nutrition in the Obama administration; Isabella Lövin, Sweden’s deputy prime minister and minister for international development cooperation and climate.
Instructively, EAT is a small organization with an outsized impact that is playing a central role in placing food, health and sustainability on the international agenda.
Its vision is a food system where healthy and sustainable food is affordable, accessible and attractive for all.
EAT is an independent non-profit organization with three core partners: the Wellcome Trust, the Stordalen Foundation and the Stockholm Resilience Centre.
By Maame Agyeiwaa Agyei
Stockholm, Sweden
