The FoodLink TAC – Circular Food Transition project, led by the Commission for Coordination and Regional Development of Lisbon and Tagus Valley (CCDR LVT) and co-financed by Lisboa 2030, aims to transform the metropolitan food system. Bringing together eight entities, the project seeks to shorten the distance between production and consumption, reduce waste, and valorize food residues, translating the AML's Food Transition Strategy into action on the ground.
The initiative stems from the idea that food is also a matter of regional development, directly impacting territorial organization. Each partner will develop actions serving as solution laboratories, with the goal of sharing, adapting, and replicating results in other areas of the region. Objectives include promoting shorter food chains, increasing the reuse and recycling of food waste, raising awareness about circularity practices, and generating knowledge to inform public policies.
CCDR LVT, as the lead entity, will implement a communication campaign on responsible eating, encouraging the consumption of local products, and an awareness campaign for agri-food producers. It will also foster knowledge creation about the metropolitan food system under the “One Health” concept and monitor food policies.
“"What we are talking about is not just food. We are talking about how we produce, how we consume, the relationship between urban and rural space (…) and, ultimately, how we organize and plan our territory."
Teresa Almeida, President of CCDR LVT, highlighted at the project's presentation that it marks a decisive step for the FoodLink network, moving from strategy to territorial implementation. She emphasized the diversity of involved entities as a major strength, enabling solutions developed in one municipality to inspire others, such as Almada, Loures, Oeiras, and Sintra.
Almeida underscored the role of European funds as accelerators of territorial transformation and challenged partners to create lasting cooperation solutions within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area.
The FoodLink TAC consortium includes regional, metropolitan, municipal, and parish-level entities: CCDR Lisbon and Tagus Valley (lead), Lisbon Metropolitan Area, Municipality of Almada, Municipality of Loures, Municipality of Oeiras, Municipality of Sintra, Cascais Ambiente, and the Parish Assembly of Olivais. The event also featured interventions by José Bernardo Nunes (Vice-President of CCDR LVT) and Cristina Escórcio (Metropolitan Secretary of AML).
FoodLink TAC is the latest stage in a journey that began in 2019 with the creation of FoodLink – Network for Food Transition in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. The network, which brings together public entities and other stakeholders in the metropolitan food system, defined principles and priorities in the AML's Food Transition Strategy (2022-2023). With FoodLink TAC, the network moves from strategy to execution, aiming to inspire new projects and responses across the region.
