On April 2nd and 3rd, ITL hosted a Food4CE project meeting in Bologna, which provided an opportunity for project partners to assess the progress made so far. During the working sessions, participants reviewed the results achieved to date, as well as ongoing activities and those scheduled to start soon. Discussions focused in particular on the actions carried out by the five local Innovation Hubs in Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Poland, and Hungary.

To conclude the meeting, partners had the opportunity to visit Camilla, the first community-run food co-op in Italy, presented as a best practice within the Knowledge Transfer Platform developed by the project.

Camilla is a self-managed cooperative run by citizens who actively contribute to the day-to-day operations of the emporium. The initiative is based on principles of sustainability, transparency, fairness, and short supply chains: there are no large retailers or intermediaries involved, but rather only direct relationships with producers. Camilla currently has 737 members and offers over 3,000 sustainable products, demonstrating that an alternative model of consumption based on cooperation and shared responsibility is not only possible, but also replicable.

Camilla stands out as a virtuous example of solidarity-based economy, successfully combining environmental awareness with active community participation.

In the coming months, the Food4CE consortium will continue its work through the following key activities:

  • Developing a Regional Action Plan in collaboration with alternative food networks (AFNs) in the Emilia-Romagna region, to support regional food logistics;
  • Continuing the collection of regional best practices for the Knowledge Transfer Platform;
  • Supporting regional AFNs through capacity-building initiatives, the dissemination of European best practices, and awareness-raising on relevant policies analyzed by ITL;
  • Contributing to the creation of a transnational network in support of Central European AFNs, through the exchange of best practices, capacity building, and multi-level policy recommendations.

📰 More information and project updates are available on the official Food4CE website.