A Continent Under Pressure: Europe’s Battle for Sustainable Food Security

Europe’s food security — long considered stable — is entering a new era of vulnerability. According to the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS, 2025), climate change is now disrupting every stage of the food chain, from production to distribution. Combined with rising production costs, geopolitical shocks, and widening inequalities, these pressures are eroding the affordability and accessibility of nutritious food across the continent. This commentary argues that Europe must transition from reactive crisis management toward a proactive resilience model grounded in climate adaptation, supply-chain diversification, strengthened food-safety governance, and social equity.

1. The landscape: food security in Europe today

Recent EPRS assessments (2025) show that while Europe remains a major agri-food exporter, 8.2% of the EU population experiences moderate to severe food insecurity. Inflation and spikes in fertiliser, energy, and feed costs have pushed food prices upward, with low-income populations disproportionately affected.

Food availability is not the problem; rather, affordability and access are increasingly compromised, especially in rural areas and among migrant and seasonal workers.

2. Climate risk and the erosion of supply stability

a. Escalating climate-driven losses

EU-wide assessments reported by Reuters (2025) estimate average annual agricultural losses of €28.3 billion from extreme weather — roughly 6% of total crop and livestock output. France, Germany, Italy, and Spain are consistently among the most affected producers.

b. Shifting agro-climatic zones

The EPRS (2025) notes a geographic shift in viable cropping areas:

• Northern Europe gains longer growing seasons.
• Southern regions face water scarcity, soil degradation, and increased heat stress.

This transition undermines traditional production patterns and requires forward-looking adaptation strategies.

c. Lower nutritional quality

Scientific reviews referenced by EPRS warn that elevated CO₂ levels, while sometimes increasing yields, reduce protein, zinc, and iron content in staple crops; a critical yet often overlooked dimension of food security.

d. Ecological decline

The European Environment Agency and related climate analyses show accelerating biodiversity loss, pollinator decline, and soil degradation — all of which threaten long-term productivity across Europe’s agricultural landscapes.

3. Socioeconomic and geopolitical pressures

Europe relies heavily on external suppliers for key food items and agricultural inputs. The European Commission’s global food security strategy (2020–2024) underscores that many of these imports originate from climate-vulnerable or politically unstable regions.

The cocoa supply crisis reveals how climate shocks in West Africa can rapidly trigger shortages and price spikes in Europe.

Rising labour shortages in agriculture and disruptions in global shipping further compound Europe’s exposure to external shocks.

4. Emerging challenges: food safety and environmental externalities

European consumers remain deeply concerned about food safety. The 2025 Eurobarometer survey highlights worries about pesticide residues, contaminants, and additives.

In response, European food-safety scientists launched the CHEFS Database (Kizililsoley, van Meer et al., 2025), consolidating 392 million test results from 2000–2024 — a landmark tool for risk assessment. Yet the need for harmonised regulation and real-time monitoring persists.

Meanwhile, the UN Environment Programme’s Global Environment Outlook 2025 warns that global food and fossil-fuel production together cause USD 5 billion per hour in environmental damage. This demonstrates the direct link between ecological degradation and long-term food-system insecurity.

5. Policy shortcomings: adaptation lag and governance gaps

Despite numerous strategies, important gaps remain:

• Underfunded adaptation: The EPRS (2025) notes that insurance and crisis payouts overshadow investments in prevention, such as soil health, drought management, and biodiversity protection.
• Fragmented governance across EU member states slows coordinated risk response.
• Trade vulnerabilities increase exposure to global instability.
• A shift toward competitiveness in recent reforms risks weakening sustainability commitments that are essential for long-term resilience.

Unless Europe reforms these frameworks, it risks becoming increasingly reactive, managing crises rather than preventing them.

6. Strategic recommendations for a resilient European Food System

a. Accelerate climate-resilient agriculture

Supported by evidence in EPRS and EU climate impact reports:

• Deploy drought-resistant varieties and precision irrigation.
• Invest heavily in soil regeneration and agro-ecological practices.
• Scale climate and pest early-warning systems for farmers.

b. Shift from compensation to prevention

Key recommendations of EU climate risk analysis (2025):

• Redirect funds toward ex-ante resilience.
• Strengthen watershed management, carbon-rich soils, and land restoration.

c. Strengthen food-safety governance

Aligned with findings from EFSA and CHEFS:

• Increase EU-wide data integration and transparency.
• Reduce reliance on harmful pesticides and emerging contaminants.
• Incentivise circular-economy models in agriculture and food waste management.

d. Enhance supply-chain sovereignty

Reflecting EU global food security initiatives (European Commission, 2024):

• Diversify import sources and build regionalised supply networks.
• Integrate climate resilience into trade agreements and development partnerships.

e. Protect vulnerable consumers

Supported by inflation and food access analyses (Farming Portal, 2025):

• Expand nutritional assistance and healthy-diet subsidies.
• Strengthen safety nets during price shocks.
• Promote healthier, sustainable diets through public education.

Conclusion: a turning point for Europe’s food future

Europe’s food system faces profound and interlinked pressures. Climate change, geopolitical volatility, market dependencies, and environmental degradation are converging to expose structural weaknesses previously hidden by decades of stability.

However, the tools and knowledge required for transformation already exist. Drawing on insights from the European Parliamentary Research Service, the European Commission, CHEFS, among others, this commentary calls for a systemic reset, one that prioritises resilience, sustainability, and social equity.

Europe’s food security is no longer a technical challenge.
It is a strategic essential shaping the continent’s stability, health, and long-term prosperity.

Dr. Silvana Sosa Clavijo is Research Fellow for the Europe Program of The Sixteenth Council