Zurich, 30 July 2021 – Blue Horizon, a pure play impact investor in the future of food, has signed an open letter addressed to 50 head of states urging these world leaders to change food pricing.
Today, while Food Ministers meet to prepare the UN Food System Summit, an international campaign is launched calling on 50 rich countries to raise prices for meat and dairy and reduce prices for healthy food. Between 30 July and 1 November, organizations and companies can sign a letter that will be sent to presidents and ministers of 35 OECD countries and 15 other countries with the highest meat consumption in the world. This includes the US, European countries and Australia, as well as Brazil, China and Russia. This letter will be presented to world leaders during the UN Climate Change Summit in Glasgow from 1-11 November 2021. The Carbon Pricing for Food Coalition, which supports this #futurefoodpricing initiative, is concerned about climate change and the lack of political decisiveness for taxing food with a high climate footprint and making climate-friendly food cheaper. They are asked to look closely at a levy on meat and dairy. Public enquiries showed that a majority supports such taxes, if revenues are used in a clever way to compensate farmers and consumers.
The letter is a call for change, for a better future. The aim is to make world leaders and politicians acquainted with the benefits of a meat tax, a fair meat price. According to surveys, a majority supports this plan, if tax revenues are used to compensate consumers and farmers. Companies and organizations that already signed the letter come from the Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom, USA, Switzerland and other nations. They are calling on organizations in 50 countries to sign too. Examples of signatories in addition to Blue Horizon are Triodos Bank, Jeremy Coller Foundation, Proveg International, Brighter Green USA, Vegetarianos Hoy (Latin America), Albert Schweizer Stiftung, Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation (global), Youth for Climate NL and Caring Farmers.
The open letter can be found here: https://tappcoalition.eu/carbon-pricing-food
Media Release: New campaign started for carbon pricing food in 50 countries (PDF)