Five Brazilian cities are being selected to join the initiative led by Embrapa and the EU Delegation to Brazil Encouraging the exchange of experiences on urban food policies and programs between Brazilian and European cities, in addition to engaging more Brazilian cities in the implementation of circular food systems that address the reduction of food waste, is the scope of the new partnership between Embrapa Foods and Territories and the Delegation of the European Union to Brazil through the project “Cities and food: governance and good practices to leverage circular urban food systems”. The initiative is part of the European Union-Brazil Dialogues and it is supported by Instituto Comida do Amanhã, the global network ICLEI South America and WWF Brazil. Thus, a case study will be carried out on sustainable urban food systems in five Brazilian cities, considering the greatest possible territorial diversity, including at least one city from each of the four clusters defined in the study “Measuring the sustainability of food systems in heterogeneous countries: applicability of the updated version of the Brazilian multidimensional index”, which analyzed clusters of food systems in Brazil. These five national cities will also participate in exchange activities with some European target cities. The selection is being made through a specific call with pre-established criteria in the notice available here. Embrapa has a history of partnership with the European Union and, among the initiatives already funded by the European Union - Brazil Dialogues, stand out the quantitative research on food waste in Brazilian families, the creation of an educational communication strategy on sustainable consumption for elementary school students, with the involvement of Instituto Mauricio de Sousa, and the Bem Diverso project. In addition to the case study, an analysis of the gravimetric composition of waste in street markets in three cities, among the five selected, will complement the generation of data to support food policies. “There is still a lack of data on waste at street markets, and we have the opportunity to outline strategies that contribute to the reuse of organic waste or even redistribution of part of the surplus to food banks, for example”, explains Gustavo Porpino, an analyst at Embrapa and responsible for the initiative. For Porpino, the continuation of the partnership with the European Union (EU) is an opportunity for Brazilian cities to participate in global networks, such as the Milan Pact, and also learn about the good practices that already exist in Brazil through the network Urban Laboratory of Food Public Policies (LUPPA). “Since 2017, when Embrapa received the visit of the former Commissioner for Food Security of the European Union, Vytenis Andriukaitis, we have sought to cooperate on the circular economy of foods, and in this new project we will involve cities in the discussion about governance of the food agenda and good practices to have more sustainable food systems in cities”, he says. The EU Delegation in Brazil, which leads the initiative in partnership with Embrapa, aims to strengthen partnerships between Brazilian cities engaged in initiatives to promote circular urban food systems and European counterparts. In this sense, some cities from EU member countries will be invited to interact with Brazilian ones, like those involved in projects such as the “EU Food Trails”, which seeks to strengthen public food policies following the guidelines of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact. “The European Green Deal is the roadmap established by the EU to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. In this effort, the ‘Farm to fork strategy’ aims to encourage cities and their inhabitants in the circularity of food systems, and, therefore, in the design and implementation of urban agendas that make them vectors of change and innovation while promoting a fairer, healthier and more sustainable global transformation. In addition, it guarantees an improvement in the quality of life not only of citizens, but of future generations, whether in terms of lifestyle or city structures”, comments Zahra Piñero-Lozano, civil attaché at the EU Delegation in Brazil. According to Zahra, the partnership with Embrapa promotes interactions between Brazilian and European cities to boost the exchange of knowledge and transfer of skills that allow the transformation of food systems. Urban food agenda The experience of LUPPA, with the collaboration of Instituto Comida do Amanhã, ICLEI South America and WWF Brazil, will be important to encourage initiatives in progress, which can gain scale through the exchange and exchange of knowledge, in addition to serving as a model for encourage more cities to initiate action plans to strengthen urban food agendas, with special attention to circular food systems. Embrapa Foods and Territories and the Comida do Amanhã Institute signed a technical cooperation agreement to strengthen public food policies. The institutions will jointly develop technical support activities in research analysis for diets with less associated environmental impact, in addition to support, participation and organization of events and dissemination of educational materials related to the theme of healthy and sustainable food systems. “For LUPPA cities it will be an opportunity to continue advancing the circular urban food systems agenda; moreover, participating in cooperation with European cities, which have realities that are quite different from ours, can bring new perspectives to all involved. We, from Comida do Amanhã, are very proud to be among the organizations that help build these bridges”, emphasizes Juliana Tângari, director of Instituto Comida do Amanhã. The promotion and strengthening of the adoption of healthy and sustainable diets are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to combating poverty (1), zero hunger (2), health and well-being (3), quality education ( 4), gender equality (5), sustainable consumption and production (12) and climate change (13). Advancing the issue of circular food systems in Brazilian cities is an alternative to expanding the supply of healthy foods to citizens, generating positive impacts on food and nutritional security and reducing the environmental impacts of food production and consumption processes.