The Hidden Cost of Cheap Food: Why Europe’s Food Trade Needs a Radical Overhaul

As food prices swing wildly and supply chains teeter on the edge, a new policy brief by Slow Food is calling on the European Union to face a hard truth: its agrifood trade policies are fueling a broken, unsustainable system—and it’s time to change course.

The brief, titled “What’s the Deal? Making EU Agrifood Trade Work for Better Food Systems,” lays out a bold roadmap to shift Europe’s trade model away from deregulated markets and corporate consolidation, and toward agroecological, localized, and socially just food systems.

A Trade System Built on Fragility

In recent years, the global food system has shown its cracks—from COVID-era supply disruptions to the trade tensions of 2025, when U.S. tariff threats sent food prices soaring and pushed millions into hunger. These crises aren’t isolated. They’re symptoms of a trade model that treats food as a commodity instead of a right—and relies on long, fragile supply chains that buckle under pressure.

“The precarious state of global food prices and supply chains is a direct consequence of a flawed trade system,” says Marta Messa, Secretary General of Slow Food. “The EU must seize this moment to transition toward more resilient, agroecological food systems.”

Rooted in Exploitation, Reinforcing Inequality

The brief traces the current trade system’s roots to colonial extraction, market deregulation, and the rise of agricultural multinationals. It shows how these foundations have shaped a system that prioritizes export-led agriculture, undermines local food production, and displaces small-scale farmers—both in Europe and in the Global South.

But crisis brings opportunity. And Slow Food sees this moment as a chance to flip the script.

From Factory Farms to Fair Trade: A New Vision

The policy brief outlines three priority areas for EU trade reform:

1. Enforce “mirror measures” to ensure all food imports meet the EU’s environmental and social standards.

2. End support for industrial animal farming, and invest in systems that promote animal welfare and ecological balance.

3. Redistribute power by holding corporations accountable and strengthening local food democracies.

The call isn’t just for better regulation. It’s for a fundamental rethinking of how Europe feeds itself—and who benefits from that system.

A New Deal for Food

Slow Food’s recommendations go beyond trade tweaks. They include:

• Reforming the Common Agricultural Policy to support agroecology and fair farmer incomes.

• Introducing clear, enforceable standards on all imported food.

• Building short, fair supply chains that support local producers.

• Expanding transparency and corporate regulation.

• Putting food sovereignty and agrobiodiversity at the heart of trade policy.

“Europe must stop outsourcing the true costs of its consumption,” says Messa. “We need a trade policy that nourishes people—not corporate bottom lines.”

As the EU navigates mounting climate, economic, and social challenges, Slow Food’s message is clear: trade isn’t neutral. It can either entrench a damaging food system—or help build a better one.