Start of the Food Voices Coalition project on improving food environments 

Feedback EU together with six organisations from Europe started a joint project aiming to mobilize voices to enable access and choice of healthy, sustainable, and just food for all. To launch the project, we held a workshop in The Hague from April 24-26.  

The characteristic of this project funded by Healthy Food, Healthy Planet, is that the element of learning is strongly represented. How can the voices and choices of citizens be mobilized to effectively influence policy makers and retailers? How to diversify and unite movements to challenge the existing narratives on healthy, sustainable, affordable, accessible, and fair food (at local, national, EU level and within EU: North-South and East-West). These overall learning questions will be a common thread throughout the duration of the project. 

Most organisations will collaborate with communities who have difficulties accessing affordable healthy food and will listen to what they need. Retailers are still by far the most dominant food suppliers in our surroundings and therefore we will target supermarkets to adjust their supply to affordable, sustainably produced, more plant-based, and healthy food. Starting at the local and national level, we hope to expand this initiative to more countries in the EU and will target policy makers at the right level to make enabling policies. Being aware that a fundamental change of the food system is needed, we will promote alternative models for healthy food environments, as well as a 60-40% plant-based supply in supermarkets by 2030.  

The kick-off workshop was held in the Utopie and the Gymzaal, both locations are based on alternative models. In the evening of 25th of April, we organized an event with local people from the Hague who engage in alternative food initiatives. Participants from the workshop and local people gave presentations, for example Keenan Humble from Feedback UK about a green bus in Liverpool providing affordable healthy food in areas that are characterized as food deserts. Liane Lankreijer, member of the Food Council of The Hague presented her survey showing the structural challenges around food poverty in certain areas in The Hague, and also the first experiments to strengthen cooperation in neighbourhoods based on positive forces that have since been set in motion and involve collaboration between formal and informal organisations. Feedback EU supported the translation of this report Weaving Food into English (link). The city of The Hague was also represented and was telling how they support and cooperate with local food initiatives. During dinner lively discussions continued. 

ALTAA and CAN from France, CECU from Spain, Green Rev Institute from Poland, Terra! from Italy, Feedback UK and Feedback EU will also reach out to organisations from different sectors. We will search dialogue with climate, environmental and agricultural organisations, health organisations, farmers, consumers, and organisations working on poverty reduction and social justice aiming to bring our voices together in a loud demand for a sustainable and just food system. 

Our Food, Our Choice!