Policy Coherence in Food Systems

A large number of policies affect the economic, environmental, health, social and political domains of the food system. Policies aiming to achieve different goals tend to be made in isolation from each other, raising the risk of divergent policy objectives, activities and outcomes. This is policy incoherence. It undermines the efficient and effective achievement of different goals and leads to tensions in the food system. Given its diversity of goals, policy incoherence is a particular challenge for food policy. Yet policies in different parts of the food system can also be designed to reinforce each other, creating policy coherence. This can be defined as the systematic reduction of conflicting policy objectives, activities and outcomes across government ministries, and the promotion of mutually reinforcing policies. Food policy coherence can be defined as the alignment of policies that affect the food system with the aim of achieving health, environmental, social and economic goals, to ensure that policies designed to improve one food system outcome do not undermine others.