Shifting urban diets in Copenhagen

Shifting Urban Diets aims to demonstrate how scientific targets for food systems can be operationalised in the city context.

The 3-year project, launched in April 2019, and funded by Climate-KIC, is working with the City of Copenhagen and partners to translate the findings of the EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health into local action and interventions.

The objective of ‘Operationalising Food System Targets for Health and Sustainability’ is to enable cities to set smarter and more ambitious food system targets with greater accountability and measurable benefits to climate, environment, public health, and societal well-being. The project is the first to operationalise the science, paving the way for a planetary diet. With Copenhagen as a prototype and other cities consulted throughout, the project aims to demonstrate how scientific targets for food systems can be operationalised in the city context.

The project will be carried out across four integrated work packages. In conducting this work, EAT will work closely with the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), the University of Copenhagen, and the World Resources Institute (WRI) on translating the global synthesis science from the EAT-Lancet report to the local Copenhagen context. In parallel, Gehl Architects and City University of London will focus on how the built environment determines and influences people’s food consumption choices and habits, while Copenhagen House of Food will implement a series of training curricula and programs to empower kitchen staff and the public to prepare healthy and sustainable meals that are within EAT-Lancet recommendations.

The projects builds on a 2017 Climate-KIC funded project that investigated how municipalities can develop relevant metrics and methods to identify, implement, and evaluate urban food systems interventions with the overall purpose of increasing municipal governance capacity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve environmental quality and human health.

The City of Copenhagen’s investments and activities in the food sector have been in rapid development. From having focused solely on its own operations in terms of organic food, food quality, competences, equipment, etc. in the city’s institutions there is now a growing understanding that the municipality also plays a key role as a driving force for the development of the food system in the entire Greater Copenhagen region.

With this project, Copenhagen is one of the first cities to put global consensus on food system for sustainability, climate and health into action. The aim is to scale and replicate the project in other city contexts as well.

“EIT Climate-KIC is proud to take part in this project aiming at shifting urban diets, testing first the methodology with the city of Copenhagen as a frontrunner, and then scaling up with other cities of C40. What makes this project really unique and innovative is that we are looking at different neighborhoods and recognising the importance of place, physical environment, and social factors in shaping the way citizens engage with food and understand its climate impact.” Catherine Laurent-Polz, Programme Lead EIT Climate-KIC.

 

For further information or interviews, please contact:

Piotr Pogorzelski Communications Manager Sustainable Land Use EIT Climate-KIC Tel: +32 2 899 0882 piotr.pogorzelski@climate-kic.org

 

Notes to editors
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About EIT Climate-KIC
EIT Climate-KIC is Europe’s largest public-private partnership addressing climate change through innovation to build a net zero carbon economy. With over 380 formal partners from across 26 countries, its mission is to catalyse systemic change for climate action through innovation in areas of human activity that have a critical impact on greenhouse gas emissions – cities, lands, materials and finance – and to create climate-resilient communities. Education underpins these themes to accelerate learning and to inspire and empower the next generation of climate leaders.

At the heart of EIT Climate-KIC’s approach is ‘systems innovation as a service’ whereby it creates a space for a portfolio of strategic innovation options and experiments, oriented around structural levers of change, designed with and for problem owners like city and regional governments, industry owners and directors, community organisations and policymakers. The organisation acts as a multi-sided platform, working across boundaries and across sectors, fostering innovation as a catalyst for transformation. It facilitates the creation of innovation consortia and community-driven change. It challenges and enriches business model design. It offers tailored support for experimentation, implementation and scaling.

About EAT
EAT is a global, non-profit startup dedicated to the mission transforming our global food system through science, business and policy with impatient disruption and novel partnerships. EAT work with a range of foundations, academic institutions, organizations and companies that provide strategic advice, knowledge and financial support while also collaborating with EAT on programs.

About the City of Copenhagen
Copenhagen has over the years become internationally recognised for its many initiatives and strategies that work toward providing good frameworks for citizens, businesses and visitors to address the long-term challenges of population growth and climate change.

The City of Copenhagen’s investments and activities in the food sector have been in rapid development, including the adoption of a municipal food strategy in September 2019. From having focused solely on its own operations in terms of organic food, food quality, competences, equipment, etc. in the city’s institutions there is now a growing understanding that the municipality also plays a key role as a driving force for the development of the food system in the entire Greater Copenhagen region.