Bergamo is a city of about 120,000 inhabitants in Italy’s Lombardy region, home to a growing University with seven faculties and several international research projects.
In recent years, the municipal administration has introduced territorial government plans that safeguard urban agriculture, the necessary basis for promoting an effective food policy. It also supported actions to reduce food waste in school canteens and the organised large-scale food distribution system. The city is committed to guaranteeing equal access to food for everyone.
In 2015, the city established a Food Council oriented to rural-urban linkages to guide the urban agriculture of Bergamo towards greater sustainability and better interaction with its citizens. The Council also aims to strengthen the relations among producers, farmers’ markets and improve citizens’ education through awareness-raising initiatives.
Bergamo aspires to develop and implement a new vision for the local urban food system to improve dietary intake, prevent childhood obesity, and reduce the environmental footprint in schools while developing local synergies and fostering cross-sectorial approaches.
As part of Food Trails, Bergamo aimed at reshaping society’s relationship with food through early education. The city Food Policy Council acted as a Living Lab that developed a comprehensive activity plan with school canteens, focused on facilitating the transition to healthy and sustainable diets, “La Buona Mensa” (The Good Canteen Initiative).
Pilot 1 – Food Policy. Developing a comprehensive food policy at municipal level
Bergamo’s food policy journey started with a mapping of the city’s food system. Then, after a series of public consultations, in July 2023 the city approved its Food Policy: a milestone useful to strengthen and unite past achievements and future objectives. The city carried out also an extensive food system mapping process and published a detailed assessment: from production to consumption, as well as food surplus and waste; it also documents the socio-economic and environmental context of challenges and opportunities for transforming the city’s food system.
Pilot 2 – Healthy School Meals. Transitioning to plant-based proteins and organic food in primary schools
Increasing the consumption of healthy and sustainable food at school has also been a main goal, carried out through 3 different tracks: 1) introducing new plant-rich recipes to replace meat; 2) promoting the conversion of canteen suppliers from conventional to organic; and 3) reducing food waste in school.
The actions involved multiple stakeholders in improving the menus and the canteens, with a strong emphasis on the importance of ensuring all meals are tasty, healthy, and appealing to students.
Pilot 3 – Food Education. Promoting sustainable and healthy food choices among teachers, children and parents
Promoting the “Whole School Food Approach”, the municipality involved students, teachers and parents in food education activities to improve dietary choices. The educational activities included a variety of interrelated events: cooking classes, open farm days, community dinners, tasting events, and conferences aimed at raising awareness about the food footprint and promoting local food production. The outcome of these activities was an increase in the consumption of healthy and sustainable food, also engaging families.
Living Lab Numbers
5,500
Primary school children involved for 2 years
50%
Increase in local food consumption
95%
Increase in organic food consumption
1,875
Children participating in food education activities
Bergamo Food Policy is available in the report Official Municipal Acts for Urban Food Policy Approval.
The description of the city’s living labs is available in all the project languages in the Food Trails Final Publication. Go to the resource!
