Why an event on urban food policies?

When more cities aim to become climate neutral, when the effects of climate change are increasingly visible, food systems, responsible for about 30% of global emissions (IPCC 2019), cannot be neglected. At a time of successive crises, punctuated by the current war in Ukraine, the energy and cost of living crisis, and shortages and disturbance in food supply chains, it is urgent to act on food systems to ensure everyone can access healthy, nutritious and quality food. At the heart of cities and citizens, food systems must evolve to become more ecological, resilient, fair for producers and consumers, circular and healthy.

European cities are already acting and co-creating measures and policies with citizens and local food stakeholders to limit food systems’ impact on climate and the environment, improve citizens’ well-being, shorten and strengthen production chains, and guarantee access to good food for all.

Why now?

In 2023, the European Commission will put forward the proposal for a legislative framework for sustainable food systems (FSFS), one of the flagship initiatives of the Farm to Fork Strategy. Its goal is to accelerate and facilitate the transition towards more sustainable food systems.  Eurocities and the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact will organise this event on 9 March 2023 to join the conversation on how such a comprehensive policy should look and share cities’ perspectives, achievements and ambitions to reiterate their essential role in transforming food systems.

List of speakers

• Keynote speech from Maurizio Martina, Deputy General Director Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
• Thom Achterbosch, Senior Researcher, Wageningen University and Research
• Alvaro Porro, Commissioner of social economy, local development and food policy, Barcelona
• Mariam Khan, City Councillor, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care, Birmingham
• Patrick Papadato, Vice-President in charge of Nature, Biodiversity and Food Resilience Strategy, Bordeaux Metropole
• Salima Djidel, City Councillor in charge of municipal catering, Grenoble Alpes Metropole
• Anna Maria Scavuzzo, Deputy Mayor, Milan
• Silke Beirens, Alderwoman responsible for Food, Agriculture, Environment & Climate, Ostend
• Maria Karagianni, Deputy Mayor for Culture and Tourism, responsible for food policy affairs, Thessaloniki
• Jürgen Czernohorszky, Executive City Councillor for Climate, Environment, Democracy and Personnel, Vienna
• Karolina Zdrodowska, Head Director for Entrepreneurship and Public Dialogue, Warsaw

More details and programme in the agenda enclosed to this mail. Register here

Contacts

Contact us at anja.decunto@eurocities.eu and alice.jandahan@eurocities.eu for further information.