Eurocities sat down with Natasha Foote this week to preview the launch of the new podcast series “Food and the Cities. From policy to plate.” Created as part of the Food Trails project, it explores how cities are powerful actors in shaping sustainable food systems. The podcast is one of the final outputs of the project wrapping up four years of hard work. Cities and other stakeholders who want to know more and take part in the conversation about the future of urban food systems can also join the final Food Trails conference in Brussels on 3 October.
Foote is an agrifood journalist, podcaster, and moderator based in Brussels who is known for her insightful work on EU food policy. In this interview, she reflects on the eye-opening experience of hosting the podcast, the fascinating stories she encountered, and the surprising ways cities are making an impact on our food systems. She offers a glimpse into what listeners can expect from the podcast and why it’s a must-listen for anyone interested in the future of food.
How did you like hosting this podcast?
I really enjoyed the opportunity to host this podcast, mainly because I’ve never worked at the municipality level, so I enjoyed this fresh perspective. In my work, I get to talk to a lot of international people in Brussels but bringing that all together in one podcast series and having different voices from cities that are working towards a common goal, as well as researchers from all over the world, was quite special.
I enjoyed picking everyone’s brains. It’s always fascinating to hear people’s stories of how they got interested in food and food systems. It’s sometimes so random. For example, they had an exchange, or they went to a specific restaurant, and it created this whole ripple effect, which is also a nice parallel to the work that these cities, and the Food Trails project, are trying to do.
Why should people listen to the podcast?
One key reason is that I learned a lot from it, and I think listeners will too. One of my key learnings is about the power of local government. I had not really considered cities as a key lever for change in the food system. And this podcast completely changed my perspective.
If we want to move forward, in a systemic way, cities absolutely have a part to play. I realised that it sometimes only takes one person with the political will to do something to leverage a huge amount of change in a local area.
Milan, for example, is a pioneer city in terms of creating its food policy. It built an impressive network and went through a significant transformation.
On a personal level, I got more interested in local politics and how I can act in my home city, Brussels. It made me wonder if there are ways I can get engaged.
Is there a concrete example that stuck with you?
Some cities, like Bordeaux Metropole, had some very engaged elected officials that put energy, money, and concrete resources, for example, new specific roles, to drive change in food systems.
Cities also are making connections and looking at others tackling the same issues and realising they don’t need to reinvent the wheel; they can inspire each other. This creates a strong community in terms of exchanging knowledge on very concrete measures, but also in having people you can ask questions to and develop solutions together. That’s a powerful lever for change.
Do you have a favourite episode? Which is it? And why?
It’s like asking a mother which is her favourite child. I’m not allowed to say.
Early episodes set the scene and discuss the impact of the Food Trails project but episode 5 is particularly tangible. It is about the ingredients for the right recipe to cook up a food policy in the city. It addresses how to approach it, the things to keep in mind, etc.
It’s the kind of thing that I would like to listen to if I were a mayor and was looking to set up a food policy myself.
Was there anything that surprised you when hosting the podcast?
There were a bunch of unexpected things. For example, the first time Birmingham popped up on my screen, I asked the organisers: “You mean the Birmingham that’s in the UK?”.
I’m from the UK. I know Birmingham is incredibly diverse and there are many food cultures, but I hadn’t thought of it as a pioneer in food policy. There’s so much more going on than you realise.
The other thing is that when talking about food policy in cities, people might automatically think of urban agriculture, garden rooftops for example. And that’s an important part of thinking about the city’s approach to food. But there’s so much more that local authorities are doing, such as looking at waste management, public procurement, short circuits, educational initiatives on nutrition, etc. That’s what people might not expect to find as they’re coming to the podcast.
Listeners who are working in EU circles may be interested in zooming in on some episodes, for example, the focus on public procurement. At the city level, procurement can impact school canteens, the hospital food that makes us strong when we’re sick, the work canteens that sustain us in long working weeks, where we socialise and network.
For the EU level, it’s also interesting to see the impact of measures at the city level and think about how that could be extrapolated elsewhere.
Any final thoughts?
Cities are a huge part of the food system. But they’re often overlooked. So the core message of the podcast is that harnessing their power in the food system’s context is an incredibly important part of the change that is needed.
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The ‘Food and the Cities. From policy to plate,’ podcast series will be released every Tuesday and Friday on the Food Trails project channels. Follow and subscribe to be sure not to miss any upcoming episodes.
