SBE 2021 | Food for Tomorrow (English version)
On Thursday 25 March, Samenwerkingsverband Burgerkracht Europa (the European citizenship partnership, SBE) and partners will hold the free digital symposium “Food for tomorrow?” You are warmly invited to attend. The symposium will be held in English and Dutch.
What’s the symposium about?
It’s about healthy and fair food and its international context. In various thematic sessions, we’ll show examples of how citizen groups in countries like the Netherlands, Germany, Belarus, Belgium, South Africa and Sweden are working on more sustainable, local and healthy food initiatives. We will share good practices and inspiration.
How is it set up?
14.00 – 15.00
Welcome by honorary chair Ben van Essen, (SBE), followed by:
- Introduction to the LEADER Achterhoek program and the importance of food in it, by Maurits Steverink, coordinator of the Achterhoek Food platform. This program works on increasing the sustainability of food chains in the Achterhoek region, from soil to table.
- The importance of healthy, sustainable and local food by nutrition expert Jaap Seidell, Professor of nutrition and health at VU University Amsterdam
We don’t make it easy for the consumer. Subsidies mean that today’s food system is attractive for agriculture and cheap for the consumer. In supermarkets, 50-70 per cent of the offering is unhealthy and unsustainable, a figure that rises to 90 per cent for special offers. We could change this, says Seidell. “We should make it easier for consumers to buy healthy and sustainable food, instead of constantly being tempted by unhealthy options. This should be done with pricing policy.” The cost of food production to health and the environment should be reflected in the price. The COVID-19 crisis adds to the urgency of this call; the consequences of the virus are many times worse for people with health problems than for people in good health.
- Ecological living at home, in the garden and beyond. What do the 21,000 members of Velt do? By Leen Laenens, chair of Velt.
Healthy living in step with the seasons and with respect for nature: for Velt, this is the basic principle of ecology. It means we don’t use any artificial fertilizer or pesticides in the garden, and that we focus on using seasonal vegetables and fruit in the kitchen. But it also relates to consuming energy in a more sustainable way. With our high-quality publications and partnerships, we contribute to the development of ecological living at home, in the garden and beyond, and sustainable lifestyles. We already have 21,000 members and more than 150 local branches, working groups and communal gardens in Flanders and the Netherlands. As such, we also speak for the interests of ecologically-minded consumers.
15.00 – 15.30
1st round: choose from one of the interesting thematic sessions (links to sessions)
15.30 – 16.00
2nd round: choose from one of the interesting thematic sessions (links to sessions)
16.00 – 16.30
3rd round: choose from one of the interesting thematic sessions (links to sessions)
Registration
It is no longer possible to register via the website. If you still want to participate, please contact us: zorgalliantie@han.nl
