How resilient are European food systems amid climate change and global conflicts?

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Climate change, trade restrictions, and global conflicts in recent years have shown how challenging it can be for food production and distribution to continue as usual.

Yet some countries are showing their tenacity: Portugal leads the list with the most resilient food systems globally, followed by France and the UK, according to a new 60-country index from Economist Impact.

The study analysed countries across four pillars: the affordability of food, its availability, its quality and safety, and climate risk responsiveness.

It forms part of Economist Impact’s Food Imperative initiative, a comprehensive project exploring what food systems need to be future-ready

However, the report highlights that even the most resilient systems in the index do not score more than 80 out of 100.

Climate risk responsiveness is the weakest pillar of the index with an average score of 56.43, even as most countries develop or deploy sustainable farming solutions.

In this section, the UK ranks first, with 71.27 out of 100, while Portugal ranks third, with a score of 69.41.

On the other hand, Romania and Hungary are the EU countries in the list that are the least resilient.

Which countries are the biggest food producers?

Only 15 countries produce 70% of the world’s food, with France and Germany as the only EU countries in the list.

On the other hand, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Spain and Poland are among the world’s top food exporters.

The research shows that a small number of countries and trade corridors support much of the world’s food security.

Resilient food systems are important because they also ensure access to an affordable, healthy diet.

In Europe, the cost of a healthy diet is 2.42% of the mean GDP per head. This is one of the lowest worldwide.

Food waste is also an issue facing food systems, as 13.2% of produce is lost before reaching retail, and 19% is wasted at the household level.