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Foodwatch: Advocating for Consumer Rights in the Food Market

Learn about Foodwatch, an influential organization working to ensure sufficient, safe, and sustainable food for consumers in the Netherlands, Europe, and worldwide. Discover their campaign successes, documentation, research, and mobilization efforts to address problems in the food market such as misleading consumer information, health risks, and unsustainable production and consumption. Find out how Foodwatch is working to influence EU food legislation and raise awareness about corporate transparency and accountability.

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Foodwatch: Advocating for Consumer Rights in the Food Market

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  1. Presentation: Postcode-Lottery • November 5th, 2010 • foodwatch • (food) consumer rights for citizens in the Netherlands, Europe and worldwide • the right to sufficient, safe, good, “honest” and • sustainable food

  2. Why foodwatch? • Existing problems in the food market: • misleading and untransparent consumer information; • health risks: toxics (e.g. dioxin), contaminants (e.g. acrylamid), additives (azo-colourants); • nutritional values leading to overweight and obesity conditions; • unsustainable production and consumption; • European Agricultural Policy damaging agriculture in developing countries; • Financial market speculation with food commodities causing higher prices and hunger in the developing world

  3. Why foodwatch? • caused by: • laws and regulations which should provide for safety and transparency are insufficient; • weak or non-existing information and legal remedy rights for consumers; • overwhelming power of corporations in the (European) political decision-making process; • caused by: • weak or non-existing consumer campaigning and advocacy organisations nationally and Europe wide

  4. The start: foodwatch Germany October 2002 • foodwatch was founded by Thilo Bode, former Executive Director of Greenpeace Germany (1989-1995) and Executive Director of Greenpeace International, Amsterdam (1995-2001) • Foodwatch in Germany today: • respected, influential and successful campaigning organisation • has changed the public debate and awareness regarding the deficiencies of the food market • concrete campaign successes

  5. The start: foodwatch Germany October 2002 • but: • Needs now to work on the European level to influence the EU food legislation • starting with foodwatch Netherlands (since January 2010)

  6. How does foodwatch work Documentation Action Research Mobilisation

  7. Campaign successes of foodwatch Germany • significant reductions of toxics and contaminants through publication of foodwatch test results (dioxin reductions in fish products; acrylamid reductions in potato chips and christmas baked products) • (voluntary) state controlled label “without genetic modification“ for meat and milk products • law introducing maximum limits for uranium in drinking water • Product withdrawals, changed product information or stopped illegal labelling of foodproducts (McDonalds, Dr. Oetker, Eckes-Granini and others) • Smiley system (mandatory publication of hygiene controls of restaurants) in Berlin from 2011 awards

  8. Campaign successes of foodwatch Germany • Climate report on conventional and organic agriculture showing climate impact of conventional and organic agriculture in Germany: • →Impact: Organic agriculture organisations demand that agriculture becomes part of national/international climate policy • Disclosure of illegal trade of carcass meal between Germany and Malaysia informations leading to stricter controls of authorities • Most important success: increased public awareness of deficiencies in the food market and corporate transparency and accountability issues raised in a concrete way

  9. foodwatch in numbers 2006 2010change % supportingmembers: 10.100 18.000 (preliminary per December 2010) 80 % websitevisits: 224.000 2.100.000 (per September 2010) 840 % newslettersubscribers: 16.000 86.000 (per September 2010) 430 % facebookfans: - 1) 15.500 (per September 2010) twitterfollowers:- 1) 5.300 (per September 2010) Protest Mails/Letters: - 1) 86.500 (per September 2010) Media: - Agencies - 1.700 (preliminary per December 2010) - Print 750 2.500 (preliminary per December 2010) 230 % - TV/Radio 180 290 (preliminary per December 2010) 60 % 1) comparablestatistics not available

  10. foodwatch financial data • foodwatch was founded as “NGO-Start up“. With seed money of € 1,8m, out of which € 0,7m was personal loans • today foodwatch is financially self sufficient, with an annual budget of € 1,4m and 12 permanent staff • foodwatch needs external funding to become a European organisation

  11. awards • 2010: foodwatch was awarded with the “Fairness Prize“ of the German Fairness-Foundation • 2010: foodwatch head Thilo Bode was recently elected as “head of sustainability 2010“, an award of the German Sustainability Award Foundation • 2009: foodwatch head Thilo Bode was elected as “Social Entrepreneur 2009“ by the Schwab Foundation (World Economic Forum 2010)

  12. Netherland • - foodwatch needs to work on European Level. The food market is a European market and the law regulating food market is European • TV Vara (Kassa) contacted foodwatch Germany • foodwatch Germany took the cooperation with Kassa as chance and starting point of foodwatch Europe • foodwatch Netherland started operations January 1st, 2010

  13. Wat is ermis? Dit vraagt om een oplossing!

  14. Het 'krachtenveld' Voedings- centrum Foodlog foodwatch De smaak- politie Keurings- dienst van Waarde fairfood Goede Waar en co? VWA Focus op voeding Radar Consumenten- Bond Kassa Reclame Code Commissie Greenpeace NGO's Overheid Hart stichting Nier stichting Stichting Natuur en Milieu Milieu defensie Media Overig Maatschappelijk effect

  15. Wat onderscheid foodwatch? • foodwatch komt op voor de recht van individuele consumenten • foodwatch komt op voor het recht op informatie en het recht op product informatie • foodwatch maakt vecht tegen voedingsgeralteerde ziektes zoals zoals obesitas • foodwatch wijst naar de verantwoordelijkheden van de grote levensmiddelenproducenten • foodwatch maakt zich sterk voor wereldwijde vooedselveiligheid • Milieu is niet onbelangrijk • focus: vrij keuze, recht op informatie en gezondheid vormen het middelpunt van de foodwatch activiteiten • foodwatch komt op de voor de Europese consumenten, dit is uniek

  16. Hoe werkt foodwatch • foodwatch is een campagne organisatie • foodwatch komt op voor het recht van consumenten op veilig, eerlijk en gezond voedsel en transparante communicatie over voeding • foodwatch is onafhankelijk van de overheid en de voedingsindustrie • foodwatch stelt misstanden en wanpraktijken van de voedingsindustrie aan de kaak • foodwatch werkt op Europees niveau (lobby)

  17. foodwatch, de feiten • foodwatch is in 2010 in Nederland gestart, maar bestaat al sinds 2002 in Duitsland • foodwatch Nederland heeft momenteel 250 donateurs • foodwatch Nederland heeft inmiddels circa 7.000 nieuwsbrief abonnees • foodwatch Duitsland wordt gezien als hét onafhankelijke instuut op het gebied van voeding • foodwatch Nederland bestaat uit een team van 2 mensen

  18. foodwatch, de resultaten • > 140.000 unieke bezoekers op de website tot op heden • Honderden tips van consumenten over misleidende producten • Circa 7.000 nieuwsbriefabbonees • Veel aandacht van oude en nieuwe media • Uitnodiging van Milieudefensie en SNM voor samenwerking 'Weet wat je eet' • Erkenning van de levensmiddelenindustrie • Deelname aan denktank voedingsmiddelenindustrie • Warm onthaal bij LNV

  19. De Misleid!-campagne(januari t/m mei 2010) In samenwerking met het Tv-programma Kassa (Vara) 13 producten 4500 e-mails

  20. De Grootste Misleider 2010(mei 2010) Actimel Van Danone

  21. Labeling van voedsel(mogelijke campagne) Het verkeerslichtsysteem • In één oogopslag te lezen • Meest begrijpelijke label in vergelijking met andere (huidige) labeling, ook voor kinderen • Faciliteert vergelijking met andere producten • Competitie onder producenten op het groenste product

  22. (Mogelijke) toekomstige focus • Verbreden Misleid!-campagne • Logo's • Giftige stoffen: Uranium, Dioxine etc • Samenwerking 'Weet wat je eet' (pesticiden) • Gentech labeling • Smiley systeem voor horeca • Kassa wants to continue the cooperation with foodwatch!

  23. Finance • Objective: financial self sufficiency within 4-5 years • Finance to date: foodwatch Germany has invested € 390.000 in foodwatch Netherlands, of which €180.000 in loans • Supporting • members required: to achieve financial self-sufficiency, foodwatch • Netherlands requires 9.500 members • (average annual contribution €50) • External funding • required: €1,4m • Prospects: Fundraising tests so far have shown that the member acquisition potential is higher than in Germany

  24. External Funding required • Annual Budget 500.000 € • of which: 3-4 permanent staff 200.000 € • Campaigns 80.000 € • Marketing 80.000 € • Media/Internet 60.000 € • Administration 30.000 € • Funding required: • members income generated external funding required • 2011 1.000 50.000 € 450.000 € • 2012 2.500 125.000 € 375.000 € • 2013 4.000 200.000 € 300.000 € • 2014 6.000 300.000 € 200.000 € • 2015 8.000 400.000 € 100.000 € • __________ ________________________ • Total 1.425.000 € • 2016 self sufficiency

  25. foodwatch Europe • The law governing food is European law and can be substantially changed only by action at the European level. • To change the food market effectively, foodwatch needs to work Europe wide. foodwatch Netherlands is the first step in going truly European. • To establish an effective Europe-wide organisation, foodwatch needs to be represented in the 5-6 biggest European countries. • Financial resources required for the project “foodwatch Europe“ amount to approximately € 8-9 m.

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