FOOD CITIES 2022: A Food Strategy For Your City - Webinar Series Introduction
Channel: Food Foundation
Date: 2021-06-09

This video provides an introduction to the first webinar series in the FOOD CITIES 2022 Learning Partnership, A Food Strategy For Your City. In this introduction, four experts outline why cities are developing food strategies and what role cities can play in transforming food systems at local and global levels.  

We are excited to be delivering this series in partnership with Eat Right India’s Eat Smart Cities Challenge, MUFPP and SHEFS. 

This webinar series, launching June 23rd 2021, will give cities who are planning or beginning to develop a city food strategy practical information to inform and inspire their own strategies. We will explore the scope of a strategy, who can or should be involved in its development, practical policies and levers to enable food system transformation and how to implement your strategy so it delivers positive change. 

Visit bit.ly/FC2022 to find out more and register for the webinars.

Food Cities 2022 Learning Partnership is an exciting new initiative that supports cities to develop and implement city led food policies and action plans. We are building a network of cities who are developing their food agendas, with a particular focus on low to middle income countries in the Commonwealth. 

This video features the following speakers:

Shaleen Meelu joined the Food Foundation as Special Adviser on City Food Policy. She works on the Food Foundation’s Global Food Systems project funded by FCDO. She is the engagement lead for FOOD CITIES 2022. In her spare time, Shaleen set up Harborne Food School in 2014 to support the public and organizations to make healthier, more sustainable food choices. She is also the nutrition theme, cross-cutting manager for a Horizon 2020 funded project, Foood Trails, focused on meeting the challenges of providing European citizens with affordable, safe and nutritious food and of creating healthier and more sustainable City Region Food Systems. 

Pauline Scheelbeek is an Assistant Professor in nutritional and environmental epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the director of the WHO Collaborating Centre on Climate Change, Health and Sustainable Development. Pauline’s research focusses on the interaction between changing environments on agriculture, food availability, nutrition, and health. She assesses the possible impact of realistic, practical & evidence-based solutions for transformational food system change on health and the environment. Currently she is the health lead for the multi-country Sustainable and Health Food Systems (SHEFS) project and leads the Food system Adaptations in Changing Environments in Africa (FACE-Africa) project in the Gambia. In this context Pauline models future food systems for the UK, South Africa, The Gambia and India under several climate change and adaptation scenarios. Pauline is an active STEM ambassador and frequently organises public engagement activities for school aged children in the UK and sub-Saharan Africa around environment, nutrition and health issues 

Roberta Sonnino is a Professor of Environmental Policy and Planning in the School of Geography and Planning (Cardiff University, UK).  Working across the research-policy interface, over her career she has developed an internationally-renowned expertise in food policy and governance. Professor Sonnino has acted as a commentator to print and broadcast media organizations in Italy, Finland, Denmark, Spain and the UK and has been an advisor on food policy for the European Commission (including as vice-chair of the FOOD2030 expert group and as rapporteur of the International Platform for Food System Science High-Level Expert Group), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (as lead author of their Framework for the Urban Food Agenda), the Welsh Government (as a co-author of their national food strategy) and the Soil Association (on public food procurement). 

Joe Dunne works for Middlesbrough Environment City and coordinates the Middlesbrough Food Partnership and the Middlesbrough Food Power Alliance. With over 15 years’ experience of project management and partnership development within the sustainability and VCS sectors, he has also delivered sustainable development and conservation projects in Africa and New Zealand. Recently through the Food Partnership, he has been a key part of transforming Middlesbrough into a national frontrunner in creating a local healthy and sustainable food system. He has a passion for local food and drink, is a keen climber and enjoys walking, cycling and squash.