In its climate plan, the city of Antwerp states the ambition to make the local food system more sustainable. To achieve this, the city has started to develop a food strategy, encompassing the whole food chain: food production, logistics, processing, consumption, food waste, innovation, etc. The process will identify strategic priorities to build a more inclusive, innovative and circular urban food system. And the city calls upon its citizens and entrepreneurs to participate in the development of the strategy.
The city of Antwerp want to reduce its CO2 emissions with 50 to 55 percent by 2030. It is evident that the consumption and dietary habits of the citizens of Antwerp have a big impact on our climate in general, in the city and outside its limits. But the food system generates GHG emissions in production, processing, distribution and consumption, so it is important to handle a systems perspective in the search for solutions.
That is why a food strategy tailored to the city of Antwerp has a lot of benefits: it can contribute to more sustainable and healthier dietary habits, less food waste, a strong and more diverse local economy and strong urban and rural linkages. At the same time, it offers opportunities to work on related societal problems, such as poverty, and stimulate innovation for a more inclusive, resilient and circular local food system. The city of Antwerp is also the culinary capital of Belgium.
