Sustainable Food from Milan to Dortmund

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What does sustainable food policy actually look like in everyday life?

For participants in the Turn the Tables exchange programme, the answer became much clearer during two weeks in Milan and Bergamo. What they saw was not sustainability as a slogan, but as something built into school meals, public procurement, food education, urban gardening and even wastewater systems.

In Milan, the international exchange opened up the bigger picture. Through the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact Global Forum, participants saw how cities across Europe and beyond are treating food not as a niche topic, but as part of health, climate action, education and social justice. Visits to places like Cascina Campazzo and the Nosedo water treatment plant showed how closely food production, resource management and urban planning can work together. There was also a visit to the school meals kitchen center Sammartini in Milan, operated by Milano Ristorazione (pictured). There, participants saw how thousands of school meals are prepared daily in a highly organised and hygienic facility, with careful attention to logistics, dietary needs, and quality. Observing the entire process, from ingredient delivery to portioning and distribution, gave a real insight into large scale, efficient, and responsible school catering.

In Bergamo, that vision became concrete. Visits to the caterer SerCar, the cooperative Il Sole e la Terra, and the NGO Mani Tese revealed how sustainable food policy works in practice: organic and seasonal ingredients in public catering, clear procurement standards, educational work with children and families, and strong cooperation between administration, schools, business and civil society.

One lesson stood out: change does not always begin with big strategy papers. It often starts with practical, visible steps that people can understand and support.

For the participants from Dortmund, this was one of the biggest takeaways. The exchange highlighted realistic ideas that could be adapted locally – from stronger sustainability criteria in procurement to playful learning tools such as the “Escape Room in a Box”, urban gardening pilots, and healthier, more climate-friendly food environments in schools and public institutions.

The experience also shifted something more personal. Sustainable food systems no longer felt abstract or overly complex. They became tangible, workable and rooted in everyday decisions.

That may be one of the most valuable outcomes of all: seeing that food policy is not just about what ends up on a plate, but about how cities choose to connect care, climate, education and community.