The old Hanseatic city of Groningen, counting over 200,000 inhabitants, is the largest city and the economic capital of the northern Netherlands. Groningen is at the core of the Functional Urban Area of 480,000 inhabitants is home to two universities and more than 60,000 students. With over half of the population under 35, the inhabitants are, on average, younger than anywhere in the country. This shows: Groningen is a young, vibrant and dynamic city with many cultural hotspots, top facilities and a bustling business community.
A high standard of quality of living is essential to Groningen.
As part of its Food Trails journey, the overall goal of the city has been supporting
residents to make healthier choices and encouraging sustainable production and
processing of food. To reach this goal, the city focused mainly on supporting and
connecting existing local grassroots food initiatives.
Pilot 1 – Promotion of healthy diets. Cookbook and courses for schools and community centres
To enhance food knowledge and skills, particularly around sustainable, healthy plant-based eating, the
city published and distributed the accessible cookbook “Samen Koken in Groningen” (Cooking Together in Groningen). It features affordable, tasty recipes and was paired by ‘Train the Trainer’ sessions and cooking classes in community centers and schools in vulnerable
neighborhoods. Moreover, to inspire and motivate residents the city launched the Sustainable Groningen platform.
Pilot 2 – Urban Agriculture. Supporting community-led initiatives
Promoting more edible greenery in public spaces was another of Groningen’s objectives, which supported gardening activities located in the Westpark: in the lively community centre, ‘Tuinindestad’, in the food forest ‘PlukN’, in the regenerative self harvesting garden ‘Blije Bodem’ and in the school garden of Nature and Sustainability Education Groningen. The food-related projects have been mixed seamlessly transforming it into a space that fosters community engagement through food. A cyclable labyrinth was designed to be both educational and interactive, with QR codes that provide information about the trees, shrubs, and fruits.
Pilot 3 – Food gardens for food aid
To make healthy food choices easier, more social and inclusive, the city supported an initiative of the social enterprise ‘Toentje’, the ‘Soup on the Sidewalk’ project. In this case, food has been a tool for community workers to engage otherwise out-of-touch neighbourhood residents. Social workers operated in the neighborhood, offering soup as a way to connect with residents who might otherwise remain socially isolated. The initiative helped reduce barriers that prevented residents from
engaging with social workers, promoted community activities during these events, and provided an
opportunity to guide individuals towards the neighborhood’s social hub.
Pilot 4 – Interdepartmental working group. Improved governance on food systems and protein transition
The city improved interdepartmental collaboration, integrating municipal policies with the Groningen
Food Policy to adopt a systemic approach. Internal coordination and cooperation on food matters were
intensified through the regular exchange of knowledge and activities. These efforts led to an update of the food policy in June 2024.
Living Lab in numbers
2,000
cookbooks distributed
1,200
kids educated in school gardens each year
680 bowls
320 bowls of soup distributed at the door,
and 360 bowls of soup distributed at an event
6,000
residents participated in a pioneering survey on food behaviour and attitudes.
The Groningen Food Strategy and Agenda are available in the Food Trails 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!