The first meeting of the Food Policy Council took place on the 19th of December 2022, in the Castelo Branco City Hall building.
The Food Policy Council’s inaugural meeting took place on December 19, 2022, at Castelo Branco Municipality’s headquarters, the City Hall Building. The advisory body comprises of experts who will assist the Fusilli CBR Team in enhancing the food system in the city. As a consultative it will advise and give recommendations to the Fusilli Castelo Branco Team, in order to actively contribute to this project, with a panel of experts who will play a key role in the improvement and transition of the food system in the city.
Representatives from various sectors attended, including education, health, business, science and technology, and community gardens. The meeting included a brief presentation on the FUSILLI project, which covered its goals, such as aligning with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and signing the Milan Pact (MUFPP). An additional member from the local urban waste management entity will join the Food Policy Council group. A social NGO will also be invited to participate as well a member from the distribution sector. To engage the public, the Food Policy Council recommended the creation of a web section where citizens can share their suggestions and questions.
Castelo Branco’s Food Policy Council is actively seeking solutions to deal with the surplus of fresh produce from the local farmers. As a next step, they have engaged the FUSILLI team to reach out to local stakeholders, by inviting representatives from local supermarkets. This will ideally initiate discussions on how to best support and favour farmers in the area, while also engaging the distribution sector in the process to close the loop and find a sustainable solution.