Europe's top city for organic living is Bremen
Bremen Wins EU Organic Award for Sustainable Development
Bremen, a city in northwestern Germany, has been honoured with the EU Organic Award in the 'Best Organic City' category. The city was recognised for its efforts to transition its municipal food supply to 100% organic by 2025.
The award was accepted by Kathrin Moosdorf, Senator for the Environment, Climate, and Science, on behalf of Bremen at a ceremony in Brussels on September 23.
Bremen's commitment to sustainable development is evident in its numerous community projects that serve as models for cities with limited resources. One such initiative is the Kitchen Forum, which opened half a year ago and acts as Bremen's competence centre for sustainable and healthy nutrition in public catering.
The Kitchen Forum supports actors in all relevant specialist topics and accompanies changes in the canteens of schools, kindergartens, and hospitals. It is part of BioCity Bremen, a hub that contributes to the development of a statewide nutrition strategy.
BioCity Bremen is actively involved in advancing sustainable nutrition within the state. Their plans and initiatives typically focus on integrating scientific expertise, innovation, and stakeholder collaboration to promote sustainable food systems. Key elements include research and innovation, stakeholder engagement and networking, policy support and advisory, education and public awareness, pilot projects and implementation, and monitoring and evaluation.
The city's dedication to sustainable food systems extends beyond the Kitchen Forum. More than 30% of agricultural operations in Bremen are certified organic, and the city actively promotes the development of ecological food value chains in the region.
Senator Moosdorf stated that BioCity Bremen aims to provide healthy nutrition for all, while ensuring environmentally and climate-friendly food production and supporting regional farmers. The action plan 2025 "Healthy nutrition in public catering of the City of Bremen" aims to make the supply in public catering, kindergartens, schools, and hospitals ecological, sustainable, and affordable.
Empowering citizens to drive local changes towards sustainable development is a key aspect of Bremen's approach. The city encourages community projects and innovative agricultural initiatives that promote sustainable food systems.
The European Commission awarded the EU Organic Award to Bremen on September 23, 2021, in recognition of its commitment to organic farming and sustainable development. Bremen continues to lead the way in creating a more sustainable food system for the benefit of its citizens and the environment.
[Image provided by the Environmental Department of Bremen]
- Bremen's Kitchen Forum, acting as its competence center for sustainable and healthy nutrition in public catering, supports actors in various specialist topics and facilitates changes in the city's canteens.
- The city of Bremen's action plan, "Healthy nutrition in public catering of the City of Bremen," aims to make the supply in public catering, kindergartens, schools, and hospitals ecological, sustainable, and affordable by 2025.
- Nearly a third of agricultural operations in Bremen are certified organic, and the city actively supports the development of ecological food value chains in the region to promote sustainable living.
- Bremen's approach to sustainable development emphasizes empowering citizens to drive local changes, encouraging community projects and innovative agricultural initiatives that focus on health-and-wellness, nutrition, and home-and-garden in the context of sustainable living.
