Inspire, cooperate, expand: Sustainable Food Meetings in France

On September 16, the Meetings on Sustainable Food 2025 organized by the Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation in France were held in Paris. Nearly 1,600 people were able to exchange points of view and nurture unprecedented alliances from the different visions of the sector, in a day that became a great mobilization to explore, inspire and transform our agricultural and food systems.

In the face of crises, let’s join forces for sustainable food and agriculture

Almost ten years ago, we launched the Sustainable Food Meetings in France, with the conviction that transforming agricultural and food systems requires collective action. Since then, each edition has brought together numerous agents from very diverse backgrounds and has served to make courageous solutions visible. Despite the effectiveness demonstrated by the projects and initiatives that have been developed in this decade, the current context is increasingly uncertain: political instability, social unrest, questioning of certain environmental policies, economic tensions, etc.

In this scenario, the fifth edition of the Meetings aimed to provide answers to mobilize beyond convinced circles, overcome divisions, build unprecedented alliances and make visible new levers of impact so that effective solutions can take a leap in scale. The conference organized by the Foundation’s team in France had the collaboration of the French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME), AgroParisTech, the Banque des territoires, the Unesco Chair in Food of the World, the Fondation de France, the Rural Movement of Christian Youth in France (MRJC) and the network of student associations RESES.

Sessions dedicated to the exploration of emerging themes and hybridization

During the day, 15 sessions were organised around three main themes: the mobilisation of economic agents, political representatives and citizens. The opening plenary session allowed the topics to be addressed with an unusual approach by the hand of neuroscientist Albert Moukheiber who questioned the cognitive blocks that slow down or slow down the transition and the limits of individual responsibility. This was followed by a first round table entitled Expanding the mobilization of economic actors. This debate highlighted the key role of companies as levers of transformation towards models that reconcile profitability and sustainability.

Throughout the day, the different round tables explored emerging or current issues: organic fishing, global health, food social security, commercial catering, the mobilization of elected representatives and citizens, agricultural democracy, the importance of sustainable food in the media, agricultural cooperatives, simplifying agricultural policies and regulations, as well as innovations in agroecology. Attendees were also able to enjoy the exhibition Invisible Hunger, proposed by Action Against Hunger, and the performance of the artist photographer Sylvain Gouraud.

Sowing the Future: A Closure with an Eye on the Future

This edition also highlighted the role of art as a driver of social and cultural transformation at the service of sustainable food. Thus, in the final session, under the title When art sows change was the closing of this day of exchange, the speakers highlighted the strength and relevance of the development of cultural initiatives at the service of sustainable food and agricultural practices, both for people and ecosystems. This edition of the Meetings concluded with the motivating words of Sophie Tabary, organic farmer and horticulturist: “If we have the courage to tackle divisions head-on, they will allow us to harmonize effective and coherent public policies, and will give us what we need most at the moment: a clear direction, a path forward in which we will not abandon anyone”. Sophie Tabary. Organic livestock farmer and horticulturist.

This desire to transform food systems to generate possible futures will be continued and reflected in the next edition of unoconcinco, the Spanish version of the Sustainable Food Meetings, which will be held next year and will once again become a space to share experiences, create synergies between organizations and promote collaboration in favor of a common goal: the transition to sustainable food.

The sessions of the 5th Sustainable Food Meetings in France can be seen in full on the Foundation’s YouTube channel:

• Welcome remarks
• Overcoming cognitive barriers that slow down the transition
• Expanding the mobilization of economic actors
• Common food boxes: overview and challenges
• Simplifying agricultural policies and standards: between needs and pitfalls
• Towards sustainable commercial catering: from convictions to practices, the recipe for a restaurant with meaning and flavour
• Mobilising political representatives and citizens around agricultural and food challenges
• Towards a global approach to health?
• Words in the mouth: how the media transforms our dishes
• When art sows change
• Final Words