Connecting the Fork to the Farm

Europe’s food system is at a crossroads, striving to balance sustainability, quality, and accessibility for a better future.

Food is – quite literally – a vital aspect of who we are. From what we eat to how we eat it, food is part of our identity and culture. When it comes to our relationship with how our food is produced, the connection runs just as deep: It’s no exaggeration to say that the discovery of agriculture some 12,000 years ago fundamentally changed the way we live. With agriculture came permanent settlements, paving the way for the world as we know it today.

And yet, our global food system is ‘broken’. On one hand, over 780 million people experience hunger worldwide and an additional 3 billion people cannot afford healthy diets, while up to one-third of all food produced globally is wasted. On the other, we have the rise of an intensive production model that favours economies of scale and “mega-farms” over small-scale family farming, accounting for almost one-third of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, 70% of the world’s freshwater use, and 78% of global ocean and freshwater eutrophication (changes to the aquatic ecosystem caused by nutrient pollution).

Over 780 million people experience hunger worldwide and an additional 3 billion people cannot afford healthy diets, while up to one-third of all food produced globally is wasted.

In short, despite increased production, the system is still failing to feed us all. Simultaneously, small-holder farmers are being pushed out of the sector or towards more unsustainable practices to compete with large-scale intensive operations.

The numbers highlight the daunting scale of the current challenge but fail to communicate that the sector has already demonstrated its capacity to rise to a challenge: Between 1961 and 2020, the sector “underwent vast transformations in production, productivity, and resource use”, increasing global agricultural output nearly fourfold. During the same period, global population grew 2.6 times, resulting in a 53% increase in agricultural output per capita. Food was more widely available, affordable, and diverse, all the while the sector reduced overall carbon intensity by two-thirds.

As our food system continues to evolve to address these challenges in the context of a changing climate, we need a new paradigm that emphasises innovative farming practices that balance production with environmental and social needs, i.e. a farming system that looks out for the people on either side of the production chain, and the environment and animals within it.

Building a sustainable European food system

The European Union has been leading a transformative wave to connect these pieces. In 2020, the EU adopted the landmark Farm to Fork Strategy,  a key pillar of the European Green Deal. As the name suggests, it aimed to address the entire value chain, connecting the urban consumers with the rural producers to align towards a common goal: a sustainable, inclusive European food system. Covering not only agriculture, Farm to Fork also attempted to unify policies related to nutrition, health, animal welfare, environment, and biodiversity. In 2025, the “overly ambitious” strategy is all but abandoned, having faced strong opposition and led to increased polarisation within the agri-food sector. Still, it’s core concept was unprecedented, covering various elements of the food chain in a single framework, and for the strategy’s supporters, this holistic, cohesive approach is essential to transforming our food system.

The EU has over 9.1 million farms (2020), the majority – 60% – of which are less than 5 hectares (ha) in size.  A staggering 93% of these farms are family-run. In terms of employment, the share of people working in agriculture has been falling (from 6.4% in 2005 to 4.2% in 2020). The sector is still a big employer in many countries, such as Romania, where agriculture accounts for one in every five jobs. For many European communities, farming is the lifeblood of the economy, and when farmers suffer, the community feels the impact.

The EU has over  9.1 million farms (2020), the majority – 60% – of which are less than 5 hectares (ha) in size. A staggering 93% of these farms are family-run.

However, the farmers are facing challenges from all sides (economic, environmental, regulatory), and Europe’s small-holder farmers are being forced to sell up and leave: between 2005 and 2020 the number of farms declined by 37% – a loss of over 5 million farms. A just transition to net zero requires we find solutions that support farmers and rural economies in overcoming these challenges, finding that delicate balance between economic, environmental, and societal needs.

Striking a balance in sustainable livestock farming

Just over a fifth of the EU’s farms specialise in livestock farming, but in terms of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG emissions), livestock accounts for over 85% of agricultural emissions, making the sector crucial for climate mitigation and the path to net zero.

Taking a very literal look from farm to fork, a cluster of EU-funded projects have been investigating different sustainability indicators in livestock farming systems to identify how to balance sustainability with evolving consumer preferences. Together, these projects are investigating the impacts of different animal husbandry systems across a range of indicators: from productivity, product quality and health, to animal welfare, pollution, and GHG emissions. Through these analyses, the projects aim to deepen the connection between farmers and consumers and arm them with data and information to make informed decisions, and help find common ground for a stronger, more sustainable food system.

Understanding what you want for dinner

When buying meat for dinner, consumers traditionally weigh quality and price. Over time, meat quality perception has evolved from focusing solely on sensory traits (colour, aroma, texture, and taste) to convenience, health, and sustainability. Consumers are looking for a high-quality product and are increasingly interested in how it is produced, though this shift varies among consumer archetypes and their differing motivations.This shift presents new opportunities for meat producers but adds another layer of complexity to understanding and meeting consumer demands. 

Researchers from the mEATquality project have investigated consumer interest in extensive husbandry practices and how they relate to price and sensory characteristics. The findings reveal that while about 20% of consumers are indifferent to production characteristics or unwilling to pay for them, the majority show interest, although the degree of willingness to pay differs. Consumers value animals’ outdoor access and space allowance; however, the increase in space must be significant to attract serious interest. Other improvements to quality of life are also valued, including quality feed provision and environmental enrichment – that is, changes to the living environment that increase its complexity and offer animals the opportunity to perform their natural behaviours, increasing their welfare.

What is extensive animal husbandry?

In extensive husbandry practices, namely, free-range and organic farms, animals have access to outdoor areas, quality feed, and environmental enrichment, which allows them to express their natural behaviours. These extensive farming practices aim for higher animal welfare standards. The husbandry factors that determine ‘extensiveness’ can also be applied in conventional production systems.

Matching high quality to sustainable practices

While evidence shows that consumers prefer more extensive and natural conditions, these cannot come at a cost to the quality of the product, especially if there is a price differential. Fortunately, research is showing that sustainable farming doesn’t just improve environmental outcomes – it directly impacts the quality of meat products.

Researchers from the INTAQT projects have probed into how product quality correlates with sustainable farming systems for poultry, beef, and dairy production systems. By considering a gradient of farming system intensity, from the most to the least intensive, the project has highlighted significant variability in the nutritional and sensory quality of products.

In the case of chicken meat, particularly breast meat, INTAQT found that chicken produced by alternative systems using less efficient genetic strains and reared in more extensive conditions (indoors or outdoors) has a higher nutritional value, with more protein, less fat, and a higher content of Omega-3 fatty acids. Differences in taste were also demonstrated, highlighting the tenderness of chicken filets reared according to the recommendations of the BCC (Better Chicken Commitment), as well as the specificity of thigh meat from slow-growing strains reared outdoors, judged to be more fibrous and less powdery than that from intensive systems.

According to mEATquality research, to capitalise on these quality improvements and preferred production characteristics (for example, extensive, enriched environments) as marketing parameters, consumers need to be informed about them. Making consumers aware of this information can influence their willingness to pay, overall product satisfaction, and taste perception. Providing this information primarily at the point of sale is essential. Though this is challenging in the crowded supermarket environment, innovations in the digital landscape are creating new opportunities for consumers to access this information.

Digital innovation: Tools for sustainable choices    

The digital era is reshaping the agricultural sector, creating opportunities to generate and share data and insights across the food system. mEATquality, Code: re-farm, and PATHWAYS have each developed tools that equip producers and consumers with information, empowering them to make informed decisions that align with their principles.

The mEATquality Sustainability App (2025)

This app will allow pig and broiler producers to evaluate their position regarding animal welfare, environment, and socio-economic impact, advising how to improve their sustainability score by applying extensive practices. This information allows them to offer better-quality meat to consumers.

The Code: re-farm Consumer App

The Code: re-farm project has developed an interactive app to deliver sustainability information to consumers by using augmented reality. The Consumer App allows shoppers to scan a product and learn all about the farming conditions, welfare of the animals, processing facilities, product nutritional value, and suggestions on preparation with easy-to-follow recipes. The app also provides channel through which users can share their feedback on their experience in terms of sensory parameters as well as the producer’s commitment to sustainability and animal welfare. This feedback option, creating a communication channel to deepen the interaction between consumers and the rest of the farming value chain.

PATHWAYS Food Baskets

Similarly, the PATHWAYS project has developed an online tool for consumers to explore the implications of their dietary choices regarding nutrition and sustainability. Through this tool, users can add items from the database to their weekly basket and receive an overview of the nutritional values and environmental impacts, including insight into which products have the highest GHG emissions. With this tool, PATHWAYS is equipping consumers with a full picture of the way their choices impact their health and that of the environment.

Towards a sustainable and inclusive European food system

Building a sustainable food system requires a holistic approach that brings together all the actors in the agricultural value chain, including consumers, to ensure that the future system is inclusive. The EU is setting benchmarks for responsible livestock farming, and initiatives like Code Re-Farm, MEATquality, INTAQT, and PATHWAYS are proving that sustainability and quality not only go together but also resonate with evolving consumer preferences. With new data, insights, and tools empowering consumers and producers with the knowledge to make informed choices, the landscape of European agriculture is changing. By embracing these changes, we can move towards a food system that nourishes people and the planet.

Building a sustainable food system requires a holistic approach that brings together all the actors in the agricultural value chain, including consumers, to ensure that the future system is inclusive.