Empowering Short Food Supply Chains: Legal Proposals for Reforming Agricultural Market Organisation in the EU

The transformation of the European food system, aimed at aligning it with planetary limits, requires changes to the fundamental structures of this field. The goal is to develop specific legislation that provides a regulatory framework for the actions of public authorities and private individuals, steering the production, exchange, and consumption of foodstuffs toward a truly sustainable path. Numerous measures—often contested—have been adopted in this regard. However, these measures focus primarily on practices related to food production and consumption without addressing the exchange process itself; that is, they do not ensure fair prices for producers and reasonable prices for consumers. In essence, the current market rules do not meet the needs of producers and consumers who wish to contribute to a sustainable food system. Without appropriate measures, it seems futile to encourage producers to change their practices if they lack guarantees of selling their products at fair prices. Similarly, urging consumers to choose sustainable products is pointless if they do not have easy access to them or the ability to purchase them at reasonable prices. Short food supply chains represent one viable solution among several for reconciling human food needs with planetary limits.