01-07-2025
Europe thinks strategically about protein, Czechia hesitates
While a protein strategy is being prepared at the European level, Czechia is considering creating its own. But any changes to the Czech food system are sensitive and must be approached with caution, stakeholders warn.
The sustainability of the food system is becoming a strategic issue in Europe. Countries such as the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany are focusing on diversifying protein sources and promoting plant-based diets – seen as key to protecting public health, economic development and sustainable land management. At EU level, there is talk of a broad action plan for plant-based diets.
The Czech food system also faces economic, health and environmental challenges. Experts and some institutions are therefore calling for a 'national protein strategy' and name specific reasons for such an approach.
The first concerns self-sufficiency in the production of different types of proteins. The current model of Czech agriculture focuses mainly on livestock, which is dependent on imports of animal feed. The country is also dependent on imports of protein for human consumption – peas or lentils. The arguments therefore point to the need for diversification of production to make it more resilient to fluctuations. This is also true of fruit and vegetables, which Czechia imports expensively.
The second reason relates to climate change and landscape impacts. 'The state cannot turn a blind eye to negative externalities. When we talk about livestock farming, its negative impacts are demonstrable in the quality of groundwater, surface water and, after all, soil,' said Jiří Lehejček, an expert on agriculture and forestry from the opposition Pirate Party, at a recent debate organised by
The last important reason is public health. According to nutritional epidemiologist Eliška Selinger of the National Institute of Public Health, there has been a scientific consensus for decades that the population should consume more plant-based foods, including plant proteins, to prevent disease. On the positive side, she said, demand is gradually changing itself, with the younger generation gravitating more towards plant-based foods.
What should the strategy contain?
Experts agreed that the state should definitely not dictate to people what to eat and to farmers what to grow and raise. But through various incentives and its own example, it can set a path that will lead to the desired goal of a more sustainable food system or a healthier population.
One way is public catering, i.e. adjusting menus in state schools, hospitals or other institutions – which can then 'trigger an avalanche' elsewhere. Experts say some small changes are already being made, such as requiring school lunches to contain more fruits and vegetables or fish.
Jiří Lehejček thinks that the strategy should also deal with state (and thus EU) support for farmers. In his opinion, current payments do not reflect very well how much farming contributes to so-called ecosystem services – water retention, biodiversity restoration and so on. Farmers, he said, need to be more incentivised to behave sustainably.
The principle of supply and demand must not be forgotten either. According to David Surý from the Ministry of the Environment, it is essential to ask what Czech farmers see as a market opportunity. He himself sees great potential in alternative proteins, but stressed that any strategy must be demand-driven.
However, the introduction of innovation may be slower in Czechia than in other countries. Jan Moudrý, an expert on sustainable agriculture from the University of South Bohemia, reminded that mostly large farmers operate in the country, and they are often more conservative and do not take too many risks – they need stable returns.
'Farmers must behave in a market-oriented way – regardless of whether they are organic, small or large. Once they see it's safe to focus on plant-based food, they'll go for it,' Moudrý thinks.
Touchy subject
However not everyone agrees that Czechia needs a dedicated protein strategy. Jan Pivoňka, a representative of the Czech Food Chamber, argued that there are already several public documents that address the sustainability of the food system. He also reminded that the European Commission will present its own protein strategy at the end of this year.
The Czech debate on food and diet is very sensitive and polarised. This was evident in the recent controversy over the labelling of vegetarian and vegan alternatives to meat and dairy products, or in the aforementioned school lunches, where a forthcoming change to the menu provoked heated reactions from various sides, for example opposition leader and ex-prime minister Andrej Babiš (ANO, Patriots).
As things stand, the topic of sustainable food systems remains controversial even at the political level. It is unlikely that any of the strongest parties will put forward a proposal for a protein strategy as the country prepares for the October elections to the lower house of Parliament.
