Let's eat well
Food is a basic, cross-cutting process in all areas of our lives. In addition to being a biological necessity and a fundamental right, it is an extremely important economic sphere, a daily source of enjoyment and pleasure, and the occasion for ritualised celebrations and daily encounters in all cultures. It is also an element that underpins and reproduces social, local and global inequalities. For all these reasons, and as several historical episodes have also shown, food has great potential to catalyse profound social transformations.
The food we eat has an impact on our well-being, our health and our planet. Did you know that six out of ten diseases are food-related? Or that food production is responsible for between a quarter and a third of greenhouse gas emissions? Or that increasing the amount of plant-based foods in your diet is one of the most powerful individual actions to combat the climate emergency?
In order to improve human health and the ecological sustainability of the planet, we need to move towards sustainable food. This can be achieved if we double our consumption of healthy and sustainable foods such as fruit, vegetables, pulses, nuts and seeds over the coming decades, prioritising organic and local production. We must also significantly reduce the consumption of added sugars and saturated fats, as well as animal protein (especially red meat), while prioritising the consumption of meat from organic and extensive livestock farming.
The transition towards a sustainable and healthy diet also involves knowing the origin of the food we eat and how it has been produced. For this reason, the consumption of food that has been produced with fewer agrotoxins and reduces the distance between production and the consumer are fundamental factors. Whenever possible, priority should be given to agro-ecological, local production, with fresh and seasonal products, and to buying in municipal markets, local shops, consumer cooperatives or farmers' markets.
Right to sustainable food
It is essential to guarantee the human right to adequate food on a global scale and to fight against food insecurity and poverty. Barcelona is working on the right to food mainly within the framework of the Network for the Right to Adequate Food and the Alimenta programme in a new window launched by the Social Rights Department of Barcelona City Council, as an umbrella of the existing initiatives in this direction in the city at the moment. What are we working on?
- Ensure access to quality food, covering calorie and nutritional needs. Thus, when designing food initiatives, as far as possible, fresh, seasonal, local, organic and agro-ecological food should be included. Around 13% of 8 and 9 year olds suffer from obesity. The prevalence is higher in schools in disadvantaged neighbourhoods and in districts with socio-economic indicators below the city average. Similarly, childhood obesity is also more prevalent among children who eat alone and do not eat at school, or eat in front of screens. The sustainable school canteens in Barcelona are a clear example of how to ensure and democratise sustainable food for children, overcoming socio-economic differences.
- To support community projects based on equality and reciprocity, where there is no differentiation based on socio-economic status. We are talking about community initiatives such as canteens, kitchens, shops or consumer cooperatives that arise from the experience of people in vulnerable situations, and where they are the protagonists and participate in decision-making.
- To support organisations that provide an immediate and urgent response to situations where access to food fails through the distribution of surplus and donated food to vulnerable groups.
- At the same time, we need to promote inclusion and personal and social autonomy, encouraging people to choose what food they buy and where they buy it. This is why we need to move towards a model based more on income security and leave food aid initiatives for situations that strictly require it. It is important to avoid solving the challenge of food poverty exclusively through donations of surplus and wasted food: the leftovers of an inefficient system must be managed by everyone, not simply redirected to the most vulnerable groups.
Sustainable food tips
What can you, your school or your organisation do to enjoy more sustainable food?
Where to find sustainable food
Municipal markets, neighbourhood shops, sustainable restaurants, consumer cooperatives, farmers' markets...
The Seasons Menu
Barcelona City Council and thanks to a team of several professionals from the world of food, catering and design, among others, has created the Seasonal Menu: a series of gastronomic proposals that incorporate some principles of sustainable food and include indicators and culinary techniques that serve as a guide for restaurants to develop a sustainable, healthy and seasonally adjusted menu.