The Superior Health Council in Belgium is holding their GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2021 online with the theme being “Sustainable and Healthy Food”.

This online seminar takes place on Wednesday 12 May 2021 from 10 am to 1.30 pm (CET). Participation is free of charge. Simultaneous translation to Dutch, French and English is foreseen. 

 More information and the final programme are below. Registration is now open.

Final programme 10 am – Welcome Fabrice Péters, Coordinator SHC Stefaan De Henauw, President working group Nutrition & Health  Tom Auwers, President FPS Public Health 10.20 am – Transforming the food system towards sustainability: what does this mean for our diet?  Tim Benton, Director at Chatham House (UK) It is well recognised that our food system is unsustainable.  It neither functions well in delivering human or planetary health. A food system that works within planetary boundaries to deliver diets that are healthy and sustainable for all, would be very different from the one that we have now. But what would that mean for people?  Does it mean local food … organic … vegetarian … or vegan?  Or does it mean eating hyper-processed food with nutrition and sustainability engineered in through technology? Or eating a greater diversity of plants, more fruit and vegetables, less animal sourced foods?  What would a sustainable diet look like?  The route to achieving more sustainable diets requires consideration of where our food comes from now and in the future (i.e. the role of trade and markets), how much price and choice matters, sovereignty and power, culture and food norms. Indeed, different possible food futures will come with different versions of “sustainable diet”. 11 am – “The rise of kale”: Positive food system transformation stories from the Nordic countries and the underlying policy actions Mads Fischer-Moller, Prof. in Food Policy, Scotland Rural College (UK) How do governments facilitate the transition towards more healthy and sustainable diets? Based on his experience as a food policy advisor to the Nordic Governments, this speaker will give insights into which policies are effective and feasible in order to reach for more sustainable food systems, with a special focus on how to stimulate demand for more sustainable foods. 11.30 am – Farms and food literacy: our health depends on it Marjolein Visser, Chair of Agroecology, ULB (Belgium) Food connects people whatever their walk of life. We all want good food, but good food is becoming an exception. Nutritious food, food that acts as a medicine, food that is accessible to all, grown and prepared with care for people and planet, where does it ultimately come from? From farms, operated by farmers. As soon as that farm gets transformed into a firm, food loses both its nutritional value and its connectivity. 12 pm – Is inclusiveness the real challenge of sustainable urban food systems? Katrien Verbeke, Social entrepreneur (Belgium) Over the past years, cities have taken the lead in shifting our food systems to sustainable, healthy urban food systems. Lots of pioneering work has been achieved. In this talk we will explore some of the impact generated by cities but also highlight the challenges ahead of us. Is inclusiveness the most challenging goal? Let’s find out. 12.30 pm – Video break 12.40 pm – Safe and sustainable food put into practice Luc Pussemier, Expert in food safety, Superior Health Council (Belgium) How does the Superior Health Council contribute to fairer, more sustainable production systems and healthier food consumption patterns? With the publication of its solid and consensual scientific reports, the Council aims to inspire and support the creation of novel concepts in a multidisciplinary approach. 1 pm : Q&A

Practical information This online seminar will be held on Wednesday 12 May 2021 from 10 am to 1.30 pm. Participation is free of charge. Simultaneous translation to Dutch, French and English is foreseen.  Accreditation has been requested. Be sure to provide your RIZIV-INAMI number if desired. In case of questions, please contact info.hgr-css@health.fgov.be.