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Interreg makes
a difference!
Explore how people in the Baltic Sea region have been benefitting
from our projects.
Interreg solutions for resilient and sustainable food systems
A resilient food system is shaped long before a meal reaches the plate. It depends on access to healthy planting material, reliable public meal services, strong local producers, effective procurement and what happens to food that is not consumed.
Many organisations across the Baltic Sea region already knew what needed to change, but lacked the knowledge and experience to tackle it alone. Interreg gave them the capacity to act together on this: to combine expertise across countries and sectors, build skills and develop solutions that respond to shared needs.
Testing these solutions in different countries and local settings makes them more robust and easier to adapt elsewhere. Organisations across the region can build on tested models, tools and guidance, saving time and resources. New connections across the food system also help strengthen local supply, reduce waste, use resources more efficiently, and better prepare for change and disruption.
Stronger food supply
- Action plan for local seed potatoes for national authorities and sectoral agencies to improve access to disease-free planting material and protect heritage and locally bred potato varieties (MainPotRe)
- Portfolio of solutions for land-based aquaculture for public authorities and businesses to develop fish and shrimp farming that reuses water and resources from energy production and geothermal systems. / TETRAS
- Manual for sustainable culinary tourism services helps food producers in rural areas diversify their businesses and develop new sources of income. / BASCIL
- Support for e-marketing of local bio products helps rural SMEs reach new customers and strengthen their competitiveness. / eRural resilience
- Solutions for a commercial Round Goby fishery helps turn an invasive fish species into a food resource. / RoundGoby
Healthier meals at schools and public institutions
- Farm-to-School programme connects schools with local farmers, producers and distributors to bring more fresh, locally produced food into school meals. / BSR Food Coalition
- Sustainable Public Meal Toolkit+ helps public authorities and meal providers make catering in schools, hospitals, day-care centres and other public institutions healthier and more sustainable. / StratKIT+
- Crisis Management Support Package helps public authorities and meal providers prepare action plans to keep public meal services running during crises. / StratKIT+
- Dynamic Food Procurement helps municipalities and public kitchens adapt their purchasing to local food supply. / Circular FoodShift
Circular food systems and less waste
- FoodLoops cooperation model helps municipalities, schools, caterers, farmers and waste-management services prevent food waste, improve bio-waste sorting and turn unavoidable food waste into compost. / FoodLoops
- “Setting the Table for a Circular FoodShift” framework helps municipalities plan food-waste prevention, local sourcing, circular cooking and public procurement. / Circular FoodShift
- Digital hub of tools and good practices helps municipalities plan more circular and sustainable food systems. / KISMET
- Solutions for shifting from single-use to reusable food packaging and crockery help reduce packaging waste in food delivery and catering systems. / Change(K)now
Supporting the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region
Our projects play a vital role in achieving the ambitious goals of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) to save the Baltic Sea. Collaborating with the coordinators of the EUSBSR policy areas Nutri and Bioeconomy, our projects focus on reducing nutrient emissions from agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. By doing so, they lessen the pressure on the Baltic ecosystem. They also work to make water and wastewater management more efficient and less resource-intensive.
More solutions on the way
Ongoing projects are testing new ways to make food systems healthier, more inclusive and more resilient. They are developing sensory food education for healthier school meals and inclusive school food environments where all children, including those with special needs, can enjoy balanced meals and participate equally.
In rural areas, new approaches connect local food, nature and cultural traditions with well-being tourism, helping small businesses reach new customers and local communities thrive. Other solutions focus on revitalising local marketplaces, engaging young people to help connect local producers with consumers and turn markets into attractive, community-driven spaces that strengthen local economies and resilience.
20+ years of cooperation in the region
Interreg cooperation on food systems has evolved alongside the region’s needs. In the early 2000s, projects strengthened local food industries, connected farmers with consumers and improved access to new markets.
In 2014–2020, cooperation expanded further. Projects reached around 4,000 SMEs and 330 food networks, supported exchanges among food producers and strengthened sustainable public catering across the region. Interreg paved a way for ecological recycling agriculture, which recycles nutrients through a balanced diverse crop rotation. Experimenting with macroalgae cultivation also untapped the potential of aquaculture. Interreg achievements firmly resonated through the Sustainable Food Systems Program of the United Nations.
Today, projects build on this experience with a stronger focus on resilience: food security, crisis-ready public meal services, local procurement, stronger local producers and more circular food systems.
Managing Authority/Joint Secretariat
IB.SH Investitionsbank Schleswig-Holstein
Grubenstraße 20
18055 Rostock, Germany
Phone +49 163 600 5203
Mail [email protected]
We support smart ideas that shape the Baltic Sea region with EU funding.
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