Consumers Shouldn’t be Solely Responsible for Shift to Sustainable Food Consumption, Academies Advise European Commission  

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A group of renowned scientists nominated by European academies through the European Commission’s Scientific Advice Mechanism have advised Commissioners on how to transform European food consumption to become healthier and more sustainable.  The advice comes in response to a request from the College of Commissioners to inform the revision of the EU’s Farm to Fork strategy. The SAPEA evidence review report, which was coordinated by ALLEA, was submitted this morning in Brussels. The report addresses key policy areas including pricing, availability, composition, and the social and digital environments that influence which foods people consume.

SAPEA, as a part of the Scientific Advice Mechanism, is a consortium of academy networks that includes over a hundred academies, young academies, and learned societies. ALLEA President and Chair of the SAPEA Board Antonio Loprieno states,

“We formed a powerhouse of interdisciplinary expertise to deliver a comprehensive report on sustainable food consumption. This approach is unique in Europe, and we are proud to deliver this evidence to the European Commission”.

Europe’s current food system has a major impact on the environment, and poor-quality diets are also linked to risk of disease, obesity and overweight — which affect around 60% of adults and 30% of children in European countries, evidence shows. The experts advise unburdening the consumer and making sustainable, healthy food an easy and affordable choice.  Professor Erik Mathijs, Chair of the SAPEA working group that reviewed the scientific evidence says:

“Policies should address the whole food environment, anywhere where food is obtained, eaten, and discussed, such as shops, restaurants, homes, schools, and workplaces, and increasingly also digital media.”

Because of this complexity, it is crucial to follow the scientific evidence for decision-making, he added. Based on this evidence, the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors to the European Commission – another key part of the Scientific Advice Mechanism – recommend a range of evidence-based measures for promoting healthy and sustainable food choices, including:

Pricing: There is clear evidence that direct measures are effective. This includes sugar taxes, meat taxes, and pricing products according to their environmental impacts, as well as lower taxes on healthy and sustainable alternatives.

Availability and visibility: Healthy and sustainable food options are more frequently chosen if they are displayed in prominent places. The advertising of foods which are unhealthy or unsustainable if consumed regularly should be restricted. Voluntary codes of conduct in this area have not been effective.

Composition: Reducing unhealthy fat, sugar, and salt content, and adding more plant-based alternatives, can be helpful — but only if these measures are mandatory and comprehensive. The evidence shows that past voluntary agreements have had limited effect.

It will be critical to create an environment that allows all stakeholders to work towards the goal of healthy and sustainable food, following fair rules. This approach may also help to overcome opposition from those who profit from the current system, including some large private sector organisations with powerful voices, scientists advised.

 

ALLEA Publishes 2023 Revised Edition of the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity

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Today, ALLEA released the 2023 revised edition of “The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity” which now reflects the latest views of the research community on good research practices. Together, these revisions help ensure that the European Code of Conduct remains fit for purpose and relevant to all disciplines, emerging areas of research, and new research practices. As such, the European Code of Conduct can continue to provide a framework for research integrity to support researchers, the institutions in which they work, the agencies that fund them, and the journals that publish their work.

The Chair of the dedicated Code of Conduct Drafting Group, Krista Varantola, launched the new edition under the auspices of ALLEA’s 2023 General Assembly in London, presenting the revised Code to delegates of ALLEA Member Academies in parallel with its online release to the wider research community.

 

The 2023 revised edition

ALLEA President Antonio Loprieno sees a fit-for-purpose European Code of Conduct as “providing a common framework, developed by peers, to enhance trust in science among policymakers and the public at large, through improved quality and reliability of research design, conduct, and dissemination“.

Accordingly, the revisions echo an increased awareness of the importance of research culture in enabling research integrity and implementing good research practices and place a greater responsibility on all stakeholders for observing and promoting these practices and the principles that underpin them. It likewise accommodates heightened sensibilities in the research community to mechanisms of discrimination and exclusion and the responsibility of all actors to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion.

The revised European Code of Conduct also takes account of changes in data management practices, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), as well as recent developments in Open Science and research assessment. In the meantime, Artificial Intelligence tools and social media radically change how research results are produced and communicated.

As the Drafting Group Chair Krista Varantola points out, “the rapid development of digital tools and their availability for research create tremendous opportunities, but at the same time pose new challenges to upholding the highest standards of research integrity”.

 

The revision process

From early 2022, the Drafting Group, consisting of members of the ALLEA Permanent Working Group on Science and Ethics, set about exploring what changes would be needed to update the 2017 edition of the European Code of Conduct to ensure it reflects the current views on what are considered good research practices. Their work culminated in October 2022 in a draft revised document being sent for consultation to leading stakeholder organisations and projects across Europe, including representative associations and organisations for academia, publishers, industry, policymaking, and broader societal engagement. The response to this stakeholder consultation was exceptional, indicating a sense of ownership and engagement with the European Code of Conduct amongst the research community. All feedback was captured and discussed in detail in February 2023 by the Drafting Group. A summary of the stakeholder feedback process and how this informed the 2023 revision can be found at www.allea.org/code-of-conduct.

 

Read the 2023 revised edition here.

New Chair Appointed for the Working Group on the ERA

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Arben Merkoçi assumes office as the new Chair of the Working Group on the ERA

Arben Merkoçi appointed new Chair of Working Group on the ERA

On 15 June 2023, Arben Merkoçi,  ICREA Professor and Director of the Nanobioelectronics & Biosensors Group at Institut Català de Nanociencia i Nanotecnologia (ICN2), was introduced as the new Chair of the Working Group on the European Research Area (ERA) at the group’s first meeting of the year. Prof Merkoçi (Academy of Sciences of Albania) was appointed to the position by the ALLEA Board on the proposal of the ALLEA Presidency. ALLEA welcomes the appointment of Prof Merkoçi as Chair of the Working Group on the ERA and wishes him good luck in his tenure!

Prof Merkoçi takes over the position from Prof Kerstin Sahlin (Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences) who assumed the role in 2021. ALLEA extends its heartfelt thanks to Prof Sahlin, whose tenure saw the publication of a statement for a new ERA of Freedom and Excellence, among other notable achievements. We also deeply appreciate her continued engagement with the Working Group as a member. 

ALLEA General Assembly ‘Crises and the Importance of Research: How Prepared Can We Be?’

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‘How Prepared Can We Be?’ explores pressing issues from the fields of science, society, and policy, and provides a platform for international, interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral debate.

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ALLEA Welcomes Two Young Academies as New Members

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ALLEA can now count among its members the Young Academy of Sweden and the Young Academy of Scotland following an election by current membership this past month. Bringing these academies into ALLEA’s network not only supports young academics – it fosters further cooperation between Young and Senior Academies as well.  

The Young Academy of Sweden is an interdisciplinary academy for prominent younger researchers in Sweden. Founded in 2011 through an initiative by the Royal Swedish Academy, the Young Academy serves as an independent platform that provides young researchers with a strong voice in the policy debate and that promotes science and research, often with a focus on children and young adults.

The mission of the Young Academy of Scotland is to help Scotland’s people and policy-makers build a future that is equal, enterprising, sustainable, healthier, smarter and international. Also established in 2011 by its Senior Academy, The Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Young Academy brings together entrepreneurs, academics, business leaders, teachers and other professionals to work collaboratively for the benefit of society.

ALLEA President Antonio Loprieno extends a warm welcome to the two Young Academies:

“With the admission of additional and diverse Young Academies to our network, ALLEA has continued the important step in bringing young researchers into interchange with established academics, including and beyond Senior Academies. This enriches discussions across disciplines, borders and, crucially, generations.”