Measurement Is Meaning? Normative Challenges for an European Union Legislative Framework for Sustainable Food Systems

The European Union is working on a legislative framework for sustainable food (FSFS). It is part of the Farm to Fork strategy (F2F), which aims for a ‘fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food system’. The system, among others, aims to decrease pesticide and fertilizer use, increase the percentage of organic agriculture and ensure the effective use of technological innovations. Several authors have highlighted the potential contradictions and challenges the FSFS might pose. Solutions have also been proposed to resolve these issues. This article deepens some of the procedural, technical and normative choices that need to be made when developing a legislative FSFS. Next, the article discusses three commonly used strategies to deal with such choices and cautions legislators not to fall into similar traps seen in the history of regulating genetically modified (GM) crops in Europe to resolve these challenges. I argue that political and normative discussions on what kind of food system is ‘sustainable’ should not be avoided or continuously redirected to scientific, technical or legal debates or to stakeholders. Although each of these processes provides essential input for political decision-making, the decision-making itself ultimately relies on political debate, particularly on complex and normative matters such as sustainability, where full consensus seems unattainable. After taking into account all input in a reasoned debate, only by taking a political decision – regardless of its nature – can a subsequent step be taken in which the adequacy of the decision can be evaluated and adjusted if necessary.