An executive summary is also available in Spanish, French, and German.
As climate shocks intensify and food prices spiral, the rules of international trade are increasingly in the spotlight. The recent tariff threats from the U.S. was the latest proof of the fragility of our industrial food system — where one political shift can push millions into hunger and poverty. But amid this crisis lies an opportunity. Trade is not neutral: it’s a system of rules we can change.
Our policy brief “What’s the Deal? Making EU Agrifood Trade Work for Better Food Systems” explores how the current global trade model — rooted in deregulated markets, export-led agriculture, and corporate consolidation — is undermining the transition to fairer, more resilient food systems both in Europe and across the globe.
As a major global trading power, the European Union plays a pivotal role in sustaining this damaging model. Its current agrifood trade policies – rooted in deregulated markets, export-driven agriculture, and corporate consolidation, are undermining the transition to diverse, equitable, and resilient food systems both at home and abroad. Meanwhile, the trade tensions of 2025, sparked by U.S. tariff threats, laid bare the fragility of the global food system – a system so precarious that a single government can entirely upend it, pushing untold millions into hunger and poverty. But moments of crisis also open the path to new possibilities.
The policy brief opens with a look at why today’s food trade system is failing — tracing its foundations in colonial exploitation, deregulation, and the rise of corporate giants. It unpacks the root causes of the current crisis, from the industrialization of agriculture to the liberalization of food markets and the treatment of food as a mere commodity. In response, Slow Food lays out an alternative rooted in agroecology, food sovereignty, and the relocalization of food systems.
Three key areas for reform are identified:
✔️ Enforcing “mirror measures” to ensure all imports meet EU environmental and social standards,
✔️ Support the transition away from animal factory farming towards an agriculture that enhances animal welfare
✔️ Shifting power through stronger corporate accountability and local food democracy,
The brief concludes with actionable policy proposals for a trade system that is fair, climate-compatible, and grounded in food cultures and community resilience.
