Integrating food policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase resilience
The C40 Food Systems Network supports citywide efforts to create and implement integrated food policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase resilience, and deliver positive public health benefits outcomes. The network is led by the City of Milan and delivered in partnership with the EAT Foundation.
Focus areas:
- Food Procurement
Using procurement for public facilities such as school canteens, hospitals, elderly homes and civic buildings to foster more sustainable and healthy diets. - Food Environment
Transforming the social and physical environment that affect the types of food available within neighbourhoods, the affordability of food and the nutrition information that people have access to. This includes food marketing to encourage and inform better consumer choices. - Food Waste
Addressing food loss and waste to facilitate the recovery and redistribution of food for people in need and also implement solutions for the reuse of food waste. - Regenerative agriculture
Promoting regenerative urban agriculture to increase food security, decrease production emissions and close yield gaps. - Governance
Supporting cities to develop food strategies, include food systems in their climate action plans and food boards and councils for inter-departmental and external coordination.
The Food Systems Network has had a fundamental role in the success of the C40 Good Food Cities Accelerator, where leading cities helped develop the ambition of science-based targets. The commitment was launched at the 2019 C40 Global Mayors Summit and co-signed by 14 cities who agreed to work with their residents towards achieving a ‘Planetary Health Diet’ for all by 2030, with balanced and nutritious food, reflective of the culture, geography, and demography of their residents. These goals are met by delivering the following measures:
- Align food procurement to the Planetary Health Diet, ideally sourced from organic agriculture
- Support an overall increase of healthy, plant-based food consumption in cities by shifting away from unsustainable, unhealthy diets.
- Reduce food loss and waste by 50% from a 2015 baseline.
- Within two years of endorsing this accelerator, work with residents, businesses, public institutions, and other organisations to develop a joint strategy for implementing these measures and achieving these goals inclusively and equitably, and incorporating this strategy into Climate Action Plans.
Each city developed an action plan, including baseline figures and environmental, health, social and economic co-benefits where available, which will be regularly updated. Read the city action plans learn more about the Good Food Cities Accelerator.