Welcome to a new episode of Slow Food Goes Brussels, where we dissect the political debates linked to the greatest challenges food and agriculture are facing.
Cities are at the forefront of one of the most pressing problems of our times — food. According to the United Nations (UN), 54% of the world’s population were living in urban areas in 2016 — and that figure is predicted to rise to 66% by 2050. And wherever people live, they must eat to survive and thrive, ideally several times a day. Across Europe, a growing number of cities have long since understood their key role in the future of food and have embarked on a journey towards what we call “sustainable urban food policies”.
For this episode, we are taking you on a journey to three of these pioneering cities: Bordeaux (France), Birmingham (England) and Groningen (The Netherlands). You will discover how they’re acting, in collaboration with local people and food stakeholders to limit food systems’ impact on climate and the environment, improve people’s wellbeing, shorten, and strengthen production chains, and guarantee access to good food for all.
Speakers:
Yael Pantzer, policy officer specialized in urban food policies at Slow Food
Kate Smith, volunteer at Slow Food Birmingham
Apolline Beyris-Duvigneau, food officer for the municipality of Bordeaux
Hilde Lavell and Hiltje van der Wal, food officers for the municipality of Groningen

Host: Alice Poiron
Co-host: Valentina Gritti
Post-production: Jonathan Remy
Music: Leonardo Prieto Dorantes
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Financed by the European Union. The contents of this podcast are the sole responsibility of the author and CINEA is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.
A project by Slow Food Youth Network