As the European Commission prepares the first EU Food Dialogue set to be on public procurement, Eurocities urges a decisive shift: recognise cities’ proven leadership in shaping healthy, sustainable food environments and adapt EU procurement rules to empower local action. Insights from the Cleverfood project and city examples show how living labs, food policy councils, and partnerships can translate innovation into policy – if given the right legal and political support.
Urban food systems deliver, EU policy must catch up
Across Europe, cities have been leading the way in creating healthier, fairer, and more sustainable food systems. From school canteens serving seasonal produce to partnerships that shorten supply chains and strengthen local economies, urban authorities are proving that change is possible. Yet these efforts often struggle to scale because procurement rules, political cycles, and fragmented governance create barriers.
Cities must be fully involved in EU food policymaking, especially where it touches public procurement, food environments, health, and support for vulnerable groups. Urban action isn’t peripheral to food reform – it’s where transformation is already happening.
Cleverfood: ingredients for strong food policy
In early December, the Cleverfood project hosted the Food2030 Networks Conference in Copenhagen, bringing together diverse stakeholders to explore how food-system innovation can shape EU policy. Eurocities contributed to discussions on transformative governance, including a workshop on living labs and food policy councils as enablers of change. The conversations revealed how local experimentation can become policy when governance structures are strong, evidence is collected, and political backing is secured.
Examples from cities illustrated this vividly. Bergamo showed how political support is essential to sustain living labs and embed innovation in city policy, while Lisbon’s Santo António Food Policy Council demonstrated the value of civil society-led governance supported by local authorities. Yet Lisbon also highlighted a common challenge: political changes can disrupt continuity, as recent elections paused council meetings.
Limerick offered another perspective, showing how its Food Partnership bridges the city hall and grassroots organisations. During the COVID‑19 pandemic, this partnership mapped local food providers and coordinated emergency food distribution, strengthening resilience and social solidarity. Today, the Food Partnership continues to drive systemic change by raising awareness around healthy food and wellbeing, improving access to nutritious food, and increasing supply of healthy food options. Its success demonstrates how strong governance and collaboration can turn crisis-driven innovation into long-term transformation.
Cities agree that political stability is essential for translating local experiments into policy. They also need evidence to demonstrate impact to policymakers. And living labs and food policy councils are powerful tools for connecting authorities with communities and aligning goals.
EU Food Dialogue: bring cities into the room
During the event, the Danish Presidency showcased a national pathway that includes a tripartite agreement between farmers, environmental NGOs and government, introducing the first CO₂ tax on agriculture and significant financing to help farmers shift from livestock to plant proteins. Denmark’s plant-based action plan is ambitious, and its call for an EU-wide equivalent sets the tone for future debates. Yet the messages from Brussels so far have focused on food security, competitiveness and the livestock sector, with little mention of diets or health. The first EU Food Dialogue, expected in February, will concentrate on public procurement as announced by Esther de Lange, head of cabinet of European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Hansen, a topic where cities have much to contribute, if Brussels gives them a seat at the table.
In the closing panel, Eurocities stressed that cities are too often overlooked in transformative governance despite their proven track record. Madeleine Coste, Head of Food at Eurocities, highlighted the power of city networks to amplify evidence and accelerate scaling, making EU food policies work on the ground. Cities urge the Commission to include them systematically in the EU Food Dialogue.
Public procurement: the lever we must get right
Public procurement is one of the strongest levers cities have to improve access to sustainable, seasonal, fresh and healthy food, particularly in schools and care institutions. But under current EU rules, prioritising locally produced food remains difficult, forcing cities to rely on indirect ways to pursue climate, health, and social goals. The new Joint Research Centre (JRC) criteria for sustainable public procurement mark progress by expanding beyond environmental concerns to include health, nutrition, animal welfare and economic dimensions. Yet more is needed. Clear recognition of short supply chains and legal clarity would allow cities to act boldly with fewer administrative barriers, and the new Directive, which is being revised, should explicitly refer to these JRC criteria.
Discussions during the roundtable on Public Procurement, organised by Cleverfood partner ZonMW, which brought together JRC, DG AGRI, Eurocities and several cities, confirmed this. Bergamo’s Food Districts, for example, are possible thanks to national legislation such as Minimum Environmental Criteria, shaping what can be done with tenders. For other cities, adapting Bergamo’s model requires navigating different legal frameworks. The conclusion is unanimous: the EU should recognise food as a strategic sector and adapt procurement rules to unlock sustainable, healthy city action.
This message resonated at the European Economic and Social Committee Permanent Group on Sustainable Food Systems’ recent meeting, which underlined that “local and regional authorities have a huge role to play in promoting sustainability and local food systems,” calling for EU policies that enable actions such as supporting local producers through procurement, promoting short supply chains, and developing regional approaches like bio-districts. “Appropriate policy instruments must be identified to promote local food production and distribution,” reads the report from the meeting. “Discussions should also cover the pivotal role that local and regional authorities can play in promoting sustainable food systems and food sovereignty, and identify how EU policies can support local actions, and vice versa.”
What needs to happen next
Cities must be included as core partners in the EU Food Dialogue and forthcoming policy discussions, particularly on public procurement. EU rules should be adapted to allow fair consideration of short supply chains and local food content, with health and equity goals front and centre. Governance structures such as living labs and food policy councils need support to scale local success, and impact measurement should be funded so evidence can drive policy.
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The European Commission’s public consultation on revising EU public procurement rules is open until 26 January. This is a critical opportunity for cities, civil society, and practitioners to ensure rules reflect the realities and ambitions of sustainable urban food systems.
