The Paranymph hall at the Escola Industrial, the headquarters of Barcelona Provincial Council, was the scene for the meeting “Alimentem Barcelona”, jointly organised by Barcelona Provincial Council and the Barcelona Metropolitan Strategic Plan (PEMB), with the collaboration of the Joint Office for Sustainable Food (OCAS), the Government of Catalonia and Barcelona City Council.

The session proved to be a success: over 200 people took part, mainly councillors and specialists from municipal councils and other local and provincial organisations, who underlined the transformational role of local food policies to drive the transition towards a fairer, healthier and more resilient food model.

The meeting stressed the need to recover agricultural land, support farmers and promote healthy and sustainable food habits, the goal being to redress the vulnerability of the territory and guarantee food sovereignty. The session pointed to these actions as crucial for transforming the way we feed ourselves and consume, particularly in a territory which has lost up to 80% of its agricultural land in the last 60 years.

Common front by administrations

In the opening session, the delegate for the Area of Natural Spaces and Green Infrastructure at Barcelona Provincial Council, Xesco Gomar, highlighted the importance of managing and enlarging agricultural areas to ensure a sustainable territorial balance. Gomar also noted that institutions only have one clear way of demonstrating that they believe in a policy: their budgets.

Also taking part was Joan Gòdia, director general for Agri-food Companies, Quality and Gastronomy with the Catalan government’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fishing and Food, who announced that the new Catalan food strategy would give priority to local public procurement and food eduction; Janet Sanz, vice-chair of the Area for Climate Action and Metropolitan Strategic Agenda at the AMB and chair of the Executive Commission for the Barcelona Metropolitan Strategic Plan (PEMB), and Màxim López Manresa, manager of the Barcelona Municipal Institute of Markets.

International leaders and exchange of experiences

The meeting provided those attending with tools for tackling the question of food from the different areas of the City Council, exploring challenges and opportunities for municipal councils and organisations when it comes to implementing food policies.

In this context, the session looked at some role models in terms of regulations and municipal powers in Europe, such as the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact – an international agreement by mayors offering specific tools for cities in the sphere of food strategies – the Toronto Food Policy Council, the case of urban food culture in Bristol and the agro-ecological food policy of Montpelier.

One of the highlights of the meeting was the round table with representatives from four leading European cities in food policy: Milan, Dijon, Valencia and Barcelona. Elisa Porreca, head of Food Policy with Milan City Council, Philippe Lemanceau, municipal councillor and former specialist in charge of the Valencia Agro-Food Strategy from 2018 to 2023, and Manel Vázquez, director of Commerce, Restaurants and Food with Barcelona City Council, shared their experiences and good practices in drafting and implementing municipal food strategies. They all highlighted the importance of municipalities being involved in international agreements and strategies, the need to create spaces for governance in coordinating efforts, and the key role of research and innovation.

The meeting concludes with a series of practical workshops based around the different stages of drafting a food strategy. These addressed questions such as how to create a food charter as a roadmap for policy, the development of a food plan and the role of food advice to drive transformation. Local experts sharing their experiences and input in the workshops included representatives from the Espai Agrari de Mataró, the Parc Agrari de la Conca d’Òdena and the Espai Agrari de la Baixa Tordera.