Food security and ‘true prices’ – prices that include ecological after-costs – will be the key themes of the 2023 Biofach Congress, part of the Biofach and Vivaness event (14-17 February, 2023, Nürnberg, Germany), organiser NürnbergMesse has announced.
“Only ‘true prices’ will make it possible to do business within the bounds our planet can support, leading to the success of a food and agriculture industry that is truly fit to serve our grandchildren. International organisations and government must make the most of organics’ potential”, said Tina Andres, chairwoman of the Federation of the Organic Food Industry (BÖLW).
To enable a genuine transformation of the food industry, including a major expansion of organic would involve “putting a end at last to the market’s failure at using environmental resources responsibly”, she added.
“Current food pricing takes the ‘polluter pays’ principle and turns it upside down, making environmentally harmful products look ‘cheaper’ than they really are. So organic foods that present more honest costing are at a disadvantage”
Tina Andres, chairwoman, Federation of the Organic Food Industry (BÖLW)
Andres continued: “Current food pricing takes the ‘polluter pays’ principle and turns it upside down, making environmentally harmful products look ‘cheaper’ than they really are. So organic foods that present more honest costing are at a disadvantage. The great market failure in food must be remedied with new systems for accounting, taxation and support. At the congress we want to discuss just how that might be done”.
Marco Schlüter, executive director, IFOAM – Organics International, said: “Organic practices have demonstrated a clear ability to provide solutions and ensure a secure, sovereign food supply, because this sustainable way of doing business reinforces farmers’ autonomy and generates added value on a regional basis. The organic system’s contributions towards strengthening a secure, sovereign food supply in every region of the world will also be discussed at the 2023 BIOFACH Congress in light of the current crises.”
The main theme of the BIOFACH Congress is arranged jointly each year by IFOAM – Organics International, the Federation of the Organic Food Industry (BÖLW), and BIOFACH.
- More information is available at www.biofach.de