What is the added value for cities to work on food policies? 

On 14 June from 14:00-15:30, at the Brussels Urban Summit, politicians from the Food Trails city of Tirana, from Ghent, and representatives from the OECD, FAO and Slow Food discussed this question and shared experiences and insights on urban food policies’ key role in achieving systemic change, urban regeneration and balancing food systems in times of recurrent crisis. 

The workshop focused on urban food policies for a just future by: 

• Showcasing the variety of cities’ work on food policies and inspiring and concrete practices; 
• Discussing the latest trends and challenges in tackling food systems transformation at a city level; 
• Sharing lessons learnt and successful tools to work with citizens, NGOs, and CSOs on food actions. 

The Vice-Mayor of Tirana presented the city’s food actions and share perspectives on how urban food policies help achieve climate, economic and social ambitions at the local level. In Food Trails, Tirana is taking concrete actions to engage local stakeholders to accelerate the transition towards healthier, more resilient and sustainable food systems. The city’s Living Lab seeks to create a local network of restaurants, producers and distributors to foster local food, raise public awareness on healthy and sustainable eating, and cut food waste by developing surplus distribution to vulnerable groups. 

Panellists included (in alphabetical order) :

• Aziza Akhmouch, Head of Division Cities, Urban Policies and Sustainable Development, OECD 
• Corinna Hawkes, Director for food systems, FAO 
• Tine Heyse, Alderman for Environment, Climate and Housing, city of Ghent 
• Marta Messa, Secretary General, Slow Food 
• Erion Veliaj, Mayor, city of Tirana 

Read more about this meeting’s outcomes here. 

The Brussels Urban Summit, 12-15 June 2023, brought together three international city conferences: the 14th Metropolis World Congress, the annual conference of Eurocities and the sixth OECD Champion Mayors Summit for Inclusive Growth. This unique gathering was an initiative of Brussels Capital Region, Eurocities, Metropolis and the OECD Champion Mayors for Inclusive Growth Initiative. It gathered over 300 cities worldwide and more than 1000 politicians, experts and representatives of civil society to exchange ideas and set the priorities for sustainable, affordable, and liveable cities going forward.