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  • Publication | 2021

Build-Back-Better from COVID-19 with the adoption of Sustainability Standards in Food Systems

Global Food and Nutrition Security

Drawing from the analyses of the socioeconomic drivers and barriers of trade and globalization in food systems, as well as its impact on the supply side and demand side arising from COVID-19, this UNCTAD Research Paper (2021) paper identifies ways to change and improve the food system, with a focus on trade and development.

Sustainability standards are vital instrument for both developed and developing countries to show that the governance of the agri-food sector is taking steps to address sustainability in supply chains and international trade. The Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) foster transparency and traceability in the production of agri-foods.

In the agri-food sector, food industries are putting certification schemes at the centre of its sustainability approaches and the number of VSS for agriculture is double to that of other sectors combined. This can be explained by the existence of an increasingly large consumer market for certified products

The paper concludes that mainstreaming sustainability standards can help create more resilient supply chains by emphasizing continuous improvements through its monitoring mechanism, transparency and accountability.