Kicking Off Local Food Cooperation in Sweden: Ekerö Joins Forces for Food System Change!

10 April 2025

On 10 April, Ekerö Municipality officially kicked off its Local Innovation Partnership with KISMET partners Södertälje Municipality and BERAS International.

The event marked a promising new chapter for Ekerö, which joins the KISMET network in 2025 as a replicator city—or as we prefer to say, a friendship city.

Following the signing of a letter of intent and the development of a transfer and implementation plan, Ekerö is now collaborating closely with Södertälje to strengthen its capacity to procure and promote locally produced food.

Much like Södertälje, Ekerö aims to boost municipal resilience by leveraging public meals to foster local, diverse food systems. To set the tone for this ambitious partnership, Ekerö hosted municipal strategists and local food entrepreneurs at the scenic Ekebyhov Castle under the theme:
“Bio-Districts: A Strategy for Realizing the Food System of the Future in Ekerö Municipality and the Sörmland Region.”

The event was led by Ekerö’s dietary managers, My Berensson and David Haag. Representing Södertälje, Sara Seing—Head of the Diet Unit and the MatLust Development Node—introduced the KISMET project and its Enabling Programme for Sustainable Food Environments. She also shared insights from Södertälje’s longstanding commitment to sustainable local food production and consumption.

Sofi Gerber, coordinator of the award-winning Bio-District Sörmland (initiated within KISMET and a 2024 EU Organic Awards winner), explained the bio-district concept and highlighted tangible initiatives aimed at strengthening the farm-to-fork infrastructure for local food.

The spirit of the day was undeniably collaborative. Participants—each working within Ekerö’s food and sustainability ecosystem—generated a wealth of innovative ideas to advance local food efforts. The next step? Turning those ideas into tangible action.

“Our municipality is situated on the islands of lake Mälaren, just next to Stockholm, and our rural areas have traditionally functioned as the pantry of the city. Now this is far from reality, but we want to contribute to increased vegetable and meat production in our area, and would like to develop local food processing to ease the use of local products“, said My Berensson, Diet Manager at Ekerö Municipality.

Sara Seing also expressed enthusiasm about the growing partnership:

“We are trying to establish infrastructure and economy for local food, to function alongside our reliance on large-scale wholesalers. Though one may think this shouldn’t be a big deal, it is actually very hard to accomplish, and a challenge we have in common with most municipalities in Sweden. To develop, test and share strategies is crucial for success.”