EU Green Deal's food system agenda fails to deliver post-exceptionalist breakthrough

The European Commission's Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies were widely praised as important steps towards a healthier and more sustainable EU food system. Although this agenda was seen by some as a leap towards increased post-exceptionalism in EU agri-food policy-making, recent political backlash against the Green Deal's food system ambitions has called into question whether such a post-exceptionalist breakthrough has indeed occurred. Here, we systematically analyse recent shifts in EU agri-food governance across four dimensions of (post-)exceptionalism: ideas, institutions, interests and policies. Despite a diversification of food system sustainability concerns in policy debates, along with some institutional opening and broader consultations with interest groups, we show that policy transformations were very limited-leaving space for emerging political tensions and increasing pressure for deeper post-exceptionalist reform in EU agri-food policies.