Fedima unveils manifesto to support the future of Europe’s bakery sector
Fedima has released its manifesto for the 2024-2029 EU decision-making cycle putting forward seven key recommendations for EU legislators to ensure that the European bakery sector is supported in its ambitions for sustainable growth, innovation and competitiveness.
To support Europe’s bakery, confectionery and patisserie sector and the entire bread and pastry value chain, Fedima has identified seven key policy priorities, reflecting the industry’s most pressing needs:
- The need for a regulatory framework that fosters innovation and sustainable economic growth in the food
industry to ensure that safe, innovative and sustainable technologies and products can be introduced onto
the food market in a timelier manner. - The need to recognise the essential nutritional and emotional role of bread and pastry in European diets and
traditions while encouraging product enhancement to meet evolving consumer needs - The need to provide clearer guidance on how B2C policies apply to the unique characteristics of the B2B
sector for greater legal certainty and smoother supply-chain collaboration - The need to ensure that science is at the heart of any regulatory framework affecting the food industry
- The need to address regulatory disparities and inconsistencies across the EU that undermine the functioning
of the internal market for food, for the benefit of businesses and consumers - The need to facilitate harmonised sustainability regulations that are innovation-driven, without excessive
burden on businesses - The need to proactively address food security risks through climate adaptation strategies in agriculture and
the entire food supply chain
Thomas Lesaffre, president of Fedima, noted that with the recommendations, the associations is setting out a roadmap for policymakers to support the European bakery sector in its sustainable growth and its competitiveness.
“Bread and pastries are at the heart of Europe’s food traditions and an essential part of the daily diets for millions of Europeans,” he pointed out. “Our recommendations aim to ensure that the regulatory framework European bakery ingredients producers operate in allows them to continue meeting the evolving needs of consumers and acknowledges the baking sector’s role in contributing to a resilient, sustainable and innovative European food system.”
As the voice of Europe’s bakery and pastry ingredients sector, Fedima engages at European level to defend the interests of bakery ingredients producers and manufacturers from 13 European countries: around 200 companies directly employing almost 27,000 people and generating an annual turnover of €7bn.
With the start of a new EU legislative cycle, Fedima said the manifesto will serve as a guide for the association’s constructive dialogue with
policymakers for the next five years.
“By working together with key partners and policymakers, we can tackle challenges like climate resilience, sustainability, and regulatory inconsistencies, allowing our members to innovate, grow, and continue delivering high-quality baked goods that consumers know and love. Our sector is eager to be part of the policymaking process, offering our industry perspective to produce the best possible regulatory conditions for the benefit of European consumers, the environment and our economies during this legislative term and beyond,” Lesaffre concluded.
