Why not replace [the organic label] or add a more demanding label that integrates both ecological and social criteria, a new label that really takes into account the entire food production-processing-distribution chain?
The magical power of food transition
Let me tell you a secret… We, at Baluchon are fascinated by the magical power of SSE. Its ability to transform problems into solutions, scapegoats into stakeholders.
Take the food transition, for example. Before the health crisis, it was one of the challenges facing our society. Covid 19 made it a major issue. By food transition, we mean giving everyone access to quality food, certainly. But also to maintain local agricultural surfaces. To promote practices that respect human beings and the environment. To think about the relationship between urban and peri-urban agri-food systems. To avoid food waste and systematically recycle it. To take into account each stakeholder from one end of the value chain to the other.
It is about health, the fight against pesticides, sustainable development, decent incomes for male and female farmers, ownership of agricultural land, intellectual property rights to seeds… In short, it is about creating and enriching fair and sustainable ecosystems.
Towards a new label
The health crisis we are facing has brought to light the importance of the human link in the food chain, as well as the social dimension of our businesses. The crisis has revealed the essential role played by the women and men involved in the production, processing and distribution of basic necessities, particularly food in the food industry. In the economic system that has dominated until now, these workers were poorly paid, denigrated, sometimes marginalised, uberised… at the end of the chain. It is time to recognise and value their social and territorial usefulness.
The food transition represents a formidable vector for growth, conviviality and social rapprochement. It can create thousands of local quality jobs, accessible to all. It opens up prospects for economic development, inclusion, innovation and differentiation for French companies.
These are all reasons why Baluchon is campaigning to integrate social clauses into the organic label. Why not replace it or add a more demanding label that integrates both ecological and social criteria, a new label that really takes into account the entire food production-processing-distribution chain?
To become collectively aware of the responsibility of the food sector in terms of social rights and professional integration and to transform this awareness into action, this is the magic power of SSE!
François Dechy
Founding chairman
Baluchon