Edenred puts on the European agenda the crucial question of food accessibility and affordability

The current crisis in Ukraine and its aftermath have serious implications for the well-being and livelihoods of millions of Europeans. It puts pressure on restaurants to cover their costs and keep operating, necessitating adaptation and innovation. Simultaneously, the cost-of-living crisis is affecting many households, increasing the risk of food insecurity and malnutrition.
In this context, it is vital for Europe to put food policies and food security as a main element of the European social agenda, and therefore to discuss and propose policy measures that can provide immediate relief to the EU population affected by the crisis and support the food sector. Edenred creates an opportunity to underline these ultimate necessities all along a dedicated day.

In the morning, the conference will be organised around 2 panels after some introductory words by Arnaud Erulin, Chief Operating Officer, Benefits & Engagement at Edenred.

• The first panel will be moderated by Nathalie Renaudin, Public Affairs Director of Edenred and will explore how restaurants can use digital tools to cope with rising prices. Martin Caraher, Emeritus Professor of Food and Health Policy, at the City University of London, Heidi Cigan, Project Officer at the Directorate General of Communication Networks, Content and Technology (DG CNECT) of the European Commission, and Marie Audren, Director General at HOTREC (tbc), will provide insights on how digital instruments can be implemented and used by restaurants and extrapolate on practices examples.
• The second panel will be moderated by Dr Laura Ferandez Celemin, Director General of the European Food Information Council (EUFIC) and will focus on how food budget cuts affect EU citizens and the importance of keeping nutrient and healthy food available for everyone. Caroline Bollars, Senior Advisor, WHO Representation Office to the European Union, Belgium (tbc), Tomáš Prouza, President at the Confederation of Commerce and Tourism of the Czech Republic, Advisor to the Minister of Industry and Trade (tbc) and Luminita Feyer, Programme Manager, Romanian Pro Consumers Association (tbc) will present initiatives and actions taken to reinforce accessibility to healthy food for all citizens, as poor dietary choices and food deprivation have severe negative impacts on public health.
  
  
• Download the agenda[PDF, 145 KB]

After the conference, participants will be invited to join a public side-event at the Vester Bar (Place du Luxembourg 13) to exchange with various stakeholders daily committed to promote accessibility to healthy food: various NGOs, local producers, nutritionists, to name a few, will be ready to discuss and to present dedicated tools. It will also be an occasion to celebrate the 15^th anniversary of the FOOD programme, coordinated by Edenred, and gathering 18 partners from 10 EU Member States.

Join us on February 4^th to learn more, exchange and be involved on the importance of keeping nutrients and healthy food available for everyone.