Organic Food Study Visit to Bremen, Germany

The study visit to Bremen offered a valuable opportunity to gain deeper insight into the city’s bio-region and sustainable food system, with a particular focus on school catering. The visit brought together some of the change agents, partners and lead partner of the We make transition! project, all of whom work with or are interested in sustainable food themes.

The two-day study visit began with a networking meeting, where participants had the opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences on sustainable food. The agenda also included visits to two school kitchens Andernacher Straße and Oberschule Kurt-Schumacher-Allee which provided practical examples of how sustainable food systems function in everyday basis. Participants learned that 90% of the ingredients used in these schools are organic, and that one key success factor on switching to organic food has been rethinking the entire menu.

A visit to Naturkost Kontor, a distributor specialising in organic and sustainable food products, offered practical knowledge how regional and ecological sustainable food system can be organised locally. Another highlight was the visit to Kaemena Farm, which showcased sustainable milk production, biodiversity friendly farming practices, and the role of local farms in community-based food systems.

“We gained practical insights into how a bioregion operates in practice and how collaboration can be successfully built across different levels.”
– Lienīte Priedāja-Klepere, Vidzeme Planning region

Overall, study visit to Bremen gave practical information and inspiration about sustainable food system. Building a sustainable regional system requires cooperation, education and transparency.