Food system definitions and narratives in Irish agri-food strategies

Public health challenges, including malnutrition, chronic diseases and climate change, are interrelated and encompass several policy areas. Food policymaking that recognises interlinkages between agriculture, health, trade and the environment can create public policies that create for better livelihoods and planetary health. To date there has been limited research undertaken to document the food policymaking process in Ireland and to assess policy coherence. Though there has been increased emphasis on sustainability in agri-food policymaking, national level strategies have so far neglected to fully consider public health and environmental impacts, creating a barrier to more sustainable and resilient systems. This could be due to differing definitions of ‘sustainable food systems’ between sectors, creating incoherence in policy aims and goals. The aim of this study is to examine food system definitions in Irish agri-food strategies and to compare them to narratives and approaches set out in academic literature and international reports. Food Vision 2030 is the latest Irish Agri-food strategy and the first to propose a food systems approach to transform the agri-food sector. A content analysis of the strategy report was conducted and strategy missions and actions were compared to food system definitions and strategies employed at the United Nations Food System Summit 2021 (UNFS). The definition of food systems used in the strategy matched the UN definition and two of five Food Vision Missions were considered ‘well aligned’ with the UNFS Action Tracks. These related to ‘nature-positive’ food production and equitable livelihoods. Overarching missions relating to food supply and consumption were less aligned. Actions were targeted at production (29%). 12.4% of actions related to natural resources and 3.5% to consumption. While the overarching message in agri-food strategies aligns with UN definitions a disconnect in the the development of policy actions remains. KEY MESSAGES: • Understanding definitions of ‘sustainable food systems’ across sectors is important for aligning policy goals and objectives. • Food Vision 203 is a step in the right direction for Irish agri-food strategies. However, it is evident at ‘action level’ that the primary focus remains in the productivism approach to agriculture.