EAT’s mission is for a transformation of the global food system to sustainably feed a healthy population of nine billion people by mid-century.
EAT is an international consortium of governments, academia, research institutes, non-government organizations, companies and philanthropic groups set up in 2013 by the Stockholm Resilience Centre and the Norwegian-based Stordalen Foundation.
Food producers need to be involved
Gunhild A. Stordalen, founder and director of EAT, said it was important to find solutions to ensure a food supply for the maximum number of people, while minimizing the drain on the world's resources.
She said that leading food-producing companies were important to the discussion.
“There is a need to feed the world's growing population – a huge challenge in itself – while also promoting health through food products produced in a sustainable way,” Stordalen said.
“This can only happen if the world's food producers are on board. We are therefore extremely pleased that Arla is now joining in partnership with EAT.”
Three-fold partnership
Hanne Søndergaard, chief marketing officer at Arla Foods, who organized the partnership with EAT, said, "Partnerships are a key element of Arla's sustainability ambitions and health strategy, because the challenges the world is facing can only be resolved together.
“As a food producer, we wish to take responsibility for contributing to sustainable solutions to global health-related problems such as e.g. malnutrition. The new partnership with EAT is therefore a natural extension of our work with health and sustainability."
Søndergaard said that the partnership with EAT is three-fold.
She said Arla can draw upon EAT's international insight and knowledge, Arla can share experiences with EAT, and EAT and Arla can form joint initiatives to develop new insights and solutions that promote sustainable food production and contribute to better health.
Specific projects
Arla said that the next step if the partnership will be to launch specific projects, for example to encourage better eating habits.
Among EAT’s partners are the Harvard School of Public Health, New York Academy of Sciences, Berkeley Food Institute University of California, Cornell Atkinson Centre for a Sustainable Future, Nestlé, Tetra Pak, National Geographic Society, Food Climate Research Network, The Lancet, Deloitte, Google and the WWF.