The Milan Pact - Milan Urban Food Policy Pact

How it works

In 2014, the Mayor of Milan decided to launch an international protocol aimed at tackling food-related issues at the urban level, to be adopted by as many world cities as possible. The Milan Urban Food Policy Pact was signed on the 15 October 2015 in Milan by more than 100 cities. It represents one of the most important legacies of Milan EXPO 2015.

The Milan Urban Food Policy Pact is an international agreement of Mayors. It is more than a declaration, it is a concrete working tool for cities. It is composed by a preamble and a Framework for Action listing 37 recommended actions, clustered in 6 categories. For each recommended action there are specific indicators to monitor progresses in implementing the Pact. The Milan Pact Awards offer concrete examples of the food policies that cities are implementing in each of the 6 Pact categories.

Governance

The recommended actions falling into the “Governance category” are all those actions aimed at ensuring an enabling environment for effective action in cities, such as: to facilitate collaboration across city agencies and departments, to strengthen urban stakeholder participation, to identify, map and support local and grassroots initiatives, to develop or revise urban food policies and plans and to develop a disaster risk reduction strategy.

Discover the 6 recommended actions for the Governance category.

Action 1

Facilitate collaboration across city agencies and departments and seek alignment of policies and programmes that impact the food system across multiple sectors and administrative levels, adopting and mainstreaming a rights-based approach; options can include dedication of permanent city staff, review of tasks and procedures and reallocation of resources.

Indicators

1. Presence of an active municipal interdepartmental government body for advisory and decision making food policies and programmes

Action 2

Enhance stakeholder participation at the city level through political dialogue, and if appropriate, appointment of a food policy advisor and/or development of a multi-stakeholder platform or food council, as well as through education and awareness raising.

Indicators

2. Presence of an active multi-stakeholder food policy and planning structure

Action 3

Identify, map and evaluate local initiatives and civil society food movements in order to transform best practices into relevant programmes and policies, with the support of local research or academic institutions.

Indicators

4. Presence of an inventory of local food initiatives and practices to guide development and expansion of municipal urban food policy and programmes.

Action 4

Develop or revise urban food policies and plans and ensure allocation of appropriate resources within city administration regarding food-related policies and programmes; review, harmonize and strengthen municipal regulations; build up strategic capacities for a more sustainable, healthy and equitable food system balancing urban and rural interests.

Indicators

3. Presence of a municipal urban food policy or strategy and/or action plans.

Action 5

Develop or improve multisectoral information systems for policy development and accountability by enhancing the availability, quality, quantity, coverage and management and exchange of data related to urban food systems, including both formal data collection and data generated by civil society and other partners.

Indicators

5. Presence of a mechanism for assembling and analysing urban food system data to monitor/evaluate and inform municipal policy making on urban food policies

Action 6

Develop a disaster risk reduction strategy to enhance the resilience of urban food systems, including those cities most affected by climate change, protracted crises and chronic food insecurity in urban and rural areas.

Indicators

6. Existence of a food supply emergency/food resilience management plan for the municipality (in response to disasters; vulnerabilities in food production, transport, access; socio economic shocks, etc.) based on vulnerability assessment.

Milan Pact Awards special mentions on Governance

Food Governance

Green Eurovision

Tel Aviv

2019

Local Food No. 1 Project

Wanju

2018

A promising shift in food economy

Ede

2017

A food strategy at community scale

Vancouver

2016

Sustainable Diets and Nutrition

Cities that want to promote sustainable diets, better consumptions and nutrition can be inspired by the recommended actions falling into this category of the MUFPP, fox example: to address non-communicable diseases associated with poor diets, to develop sustainable dietary guidelines for urban environment, to explore regulatory and voluntary instruments to promote sustainable diets in cities and public facilities, to commit to achieving universal access to safe drinking water in urban and peri-urban areas.

Discover the 7 recommended actions for the Sustainable Diets and Nutrition category.

Action 7

Promote sustainable diets (healthy, safe, culturally appropriate, environmentally friendly and rights-based) through relevant education, health promotion and communication programmes, with special attention to schools, care centres, markets and the media.

Indicators

7. Minimum dietary diversity for women of reproductive age

8. Number of households living in “food deserts”

9. Costs of a nutritious food basket at city/community level

10. Individual average daily consumption of meat

Action 8

Address non-communicable diseases associated with poor diets and obesity, giving specific attention where appropriate to reducing intake of sugar, salt, transfats, meat and dairy products and increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables and non-processed foods.

Indicators

11. Number of adults with type 2 diabetes

12. Prevalence of stunting for children under 5 years

13. Prevalence of overweight or obesity among adults, youth and children

Action 9

Develop sustainable dietary guidelines to inform consumers, city planners (in particular for public food procurement), food service providers, retailers, producers and processors, and promote communication and training campaigns.

Indicators

14. Number of city-led or supported activities to promote sustainable diets

Action 10

Adapt standards and regulations to make sustainable diets and safe drinking water accessible in public sector facilities such as hospitals, health and childcare facilities, workplaces, universities, schools, food and catering services, municipal offices and prisons, and to the extent possible, in private sector retail and wholesale food distribution and markets.

Indicators

16. Presence of programmes/policies that promote the availability of nutritious and diversified foods in public facilities

17. Percentage of population with access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation.

Action 11

Explore regulatory and voluntary instruments to promote sustainable diets involving private and public companies as appropriate, using marketing, publicity and labelling policies; and economic incentives or disincentives; streamline regulations regarding the marketing of food and non-alcoholic beverages to children in accordance with WHO recommendations.

Indicators

15. Existence of policies/programmes that address sugar, salt and fat consumption in relation to specific target groups (e.g. general public, in hospitals and schools).

Action 12

Encourage joint action by health and food sectors to implement integrated people-centred strategies for healthy lifestyles and social inclusion.

Indicators

15. Existence of policies/programmes that address sugar, salt and fat consumption in relation to specific target groups (e.g. general public, in hospitals and schools).

Action 13

Invest in and commit to achieving universal access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation with the participation of civil society and various partnerships, as appropriate.

Indicators

17. Percentage of population with access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation

Milan Pact Awards special mentions on Sustainable Diets and Nutrition

Sustainable Diets and Nutrition

The preschool & school meal delivery system reform

Kazan

2019

Giocampus Project

Parma

2018

Organic conversion in public kitchens

Copenhagen

2017

Tackling childhood obesity

Birmingham

2016

Social and economic Equity

City leaders that want to address inequality and poverty related to food systems, can undertake different recommended actions of this MUFPP category, such as: to use forms of social protection systems such as cash and food transfers, food banks, community food kitchens, emergency food pantries etc. to provide access to healthy food for all citizens, to encourage and support social and solidarity activities, to promote networks and support grassroots activities, to promote participatory education, training and research.

Discover the 6 recommended actions for the Social and economic Equity category.

Action 14

Use cash and food transfers, and other forms of social protection systems (food banks, community food kitchens, emergency food pantries etc.) to provide vulnerable populations with access to healthy food, while taking into consideration the specific beliefs, culture, traditions, dietary habits and preferences of diverse communities, as a matter of human dignity and to avoid further marginalization.

Indicators

18. Percentage of food insecure households based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES)

19. Percentage of people supported by food and/or social assistance programmes

Action 15

Re-orientate school feeding programmes and other institutional food services to provide healthy and local/regional food.

Indicators

20. Percentage of children and youth (under 18 years of age) benefitting from school feeding programmes.

Action 16

Promote decent employment for all, within the food and agriculture sector, with the full inclusion of women.

Indicators

21. Number of formal jobs related to the urban food system that pay at least the national minimum or living wage.

Action 17

Encourage and support social and solidarity economy activities, that support sustainable livelihoods in the food chain and facilitate access to safe and healthy foods.

Indicators

21. Number of formal jobs related to the urban food system that pay at least the national minimum or living wage.

Action 18

Promote networks and support grassroots activities that create social inclusion and provide food to marginalized individuals.

Indicators

22. Number of community-based food assets in the city.

23. Presence of food-related policies and targets with a specific focus on socially vulnerably groups

Action 19

Promote participatory education, training and research as key elements in strengthening local action to increase social and economic equity, promote rights-based approaches, alleviate poverty and facilitate access to adequate and nutritious foods.

Indicators

24. Number of opportunities for food system-related learning and skill development in i) food and nutrition literacy, ii) employment training and iii) leadership

Milan Pact Awards special mentions on Social and economic Equity

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC EQUITY

Urban early warning and early action initiative

Nairobi

2019

Popular restaurants

Belo Horizonte

2018

Make fresh food accessible for all

Austin

2017

Women groups economical empowerment

Lusaka

2016

Food Production

The recommended actions falling into this category are all those actions aimed at strengthening sustainable food production, stressing the importance of rural-urban linkages, such as: to promote and strengthen urban and peri-urban sustainable food production, to apply an ecosystem approach to guide holistic and integrated land use planning and management enabling secure access to land for sustainable food production, to provide services to food producers in and around cities, to support short food chains, to improve waste and water management and reuse in agriculture.

Discover the 7 recommended actions for the Food Production category.

Action 20

Promote and strengthen urban and peri-urban food production and processing based on sustainable approaches and integrate urban and peri-urban agriculture into city resilience plans.

Indicators

25. Number of city residents within the municipal boundary with access to an (urban) agriculture garden

26. Presence of municipal policies and regulations that allow and promote agriculture production and processing in the municipal area

Action 21

Seek coherence between the city and nearby rural food production, processing and distribution, focussing on smallholder producers and family farmers, paying particular attention to empowering women and youth.

Indicators

31. Number of municipal food processing and distribution infrastructures available to food producers in the municipal area.

32. Proportion of local/regional food producers that sell their products to public markets in the city.

Action 22

Apply an ecosystem approach to guide holistic and integrated land use planning and management in collaboration with both urban and rural authorities and other natural resource managers by combining landscape features, for example with risk-minimizing strategies to enhance opportunities for agroecological production, conservation of biodiversity and farmland, climate change adaptation, tourism, leisure and other ecosystem services.

Indicators

27. Surface area of (potential) agricultural spaces within the municipal boundary.

28. Proportion of total agricultural population –within the municipal boundaries - with ownership or secure rights over agricultural land for food production, by gender.

29. Proportion of agricultural land in the municipal area under sustainable agriculture.

Action 23

Protect and enable secure access and tenure to land for sustainable food production in urban and peri-urban areas, including land for community gardeners and smallholder producers, for example through land banks or community land trusts; provide access to municipal land for local agricultural production and promote integration with land use and city development plans and programmes.

Indicators

27. Surface area of (potential) agricultural spaces within the municipal boundary.

28. Proportion of total agricultural population –within the municipal boundaries - with ownership or secure rights over agricultural land for food production, by gender.

29. Proportion of agricultural land in the municipal area under sustainable agriculture.

Action 24

Help provide services to food producers in and around cities, including technical training and financial assistance (credit, technology, food safety, market access, etc.) to build a multigenerational and economically viable food system with inputs such as compost from food waste, grey water from post-consumer use, and energy from waste etc. while ensuring that these do not compete with human consumption.

Indicators

30. Number of urban and peri-urban food producers that benefited from technical training and assistance in the past 12 months

Action 25

Support short food chains, producer organisations, producer-to-consumer networks and platforms, and other market systems that integrate the social and economic infrastructure of urban food system that links urban and rural areas. This could include civil society-led social and solidarity economy initiatives and alternative market systems.

Indicators

31. Number of municipal food processing and distribution infrastructures available to food producers in the municipal area

32. Proportion of local/regional food producers that sell their products to public markets in the city

Action 26

Improve (waste) water management and reuse in agriculture and food production through policies and programmes using participatory approaches.

Indicators

33. Annual proportion of urban organic waste collected that is re-used in agricultural production taking place within municipal boundaries

Milan Pact Awards special mentions on Food Production

Food Production

Hortas Cariocas Program

Rio De Janeiro

2019

From the land to the table: local sustainable development through school

Sao Paulo

2018

Micro-gardens project

Dakar

2017

Agrupar

Quito

2016

Food Supply and Distribution

There is a variety of actions and measures that can be adopted by cities that want to ensure a sustainable, safe, fair, continuous and efficient supply and distribution of food into and within cities. For example: to review and strengthen food control systems, to ensure seasonal and local food consumption by linking peri-urban and near rural areas transport and logistics, to develop green public procurement and trade policy to facilitate short food supply chains, to support for municipal public markets, to support for municipal public markets.

Discover the 7 recommended actions for the Food Supply category.

Action 27

Assess the flows of food to and through cities to ensure physical access to fresh, affordable foods in low-income or underserved neighbourhoods while addressing sustainable transportation and logistics planning to reduce carbon emissions with alternative fuels or means of transport.

Indicators

34. Existence of policies/programmes that address the reduction of GHG emissions in different parts of the food supply chain

Action 28

Support improved food storage, processing, transport and distribution technologies and infrastructure linking peri-urban and near rural areas to ensure seasonal food consumption and reduce food insecurity as well as food and nutrient loss and waste with an emphasis on diversified small and
medium scale food businesses along the value chain that may provide decent and stable employment.

Indicators

35. Presence of a development plan to strengthen resilience and efficiency of local food supply chains logistics

Action 29

Assess, review and/or strengthen food control systems by implementing local food safety legislation and regulations that (1) ensure that food producers and suppliers throughout the food chain operate responsibly; (2) eliminate barriers to market access for family farmers and smallholder producers; and (3) integrate food safety, health and environmental dimensions.

Indicators

39. Presence of food safety legislation and implementation and enforcement procedures

Action 30

Review public procurement and trade policy aimed at facilitating food supply from short chains linking cities to secure a supply of healthy food, while also facilitating job access, fair production conditions and sustainable production for the most vulnerable producers and consumers, thereby using the potential of public procurement to help realize the right to food for all.

Indicators

38. Proportion of food procurement expenditure by public institutions on food from sustainable, ethical sources and shorter (local/regional) supply chains.

Action 31

Provide policy and programme support for municipal public food markets including farmers markets, informal markets, retail and wholesale markets, restaurants, and other food distributors, recognizing different approaches by cities working with private and public components of market systems.

Indicators

36. Measures the number of food markets or retail outlets providing fresh fruit and vegetables per 1000 inhabitants that are directly supported by the municipality in some way.

37. Annual municipal investment in food markets or retail outlets providing fresh food to city residents, as a proportion of total (investment) budget.

Action 32

Improve and expand support for infrastructure related to food market systems that link urban buyers to urban, peri-urban and rural sellers while also building social cohesion and trust, supporting cultural exchange and ensuring sustainable livelihood, especially for women and young entrepreneurs.

Indicators

36. Number of fresh fruit and vegetable outlets per 1000 inhabitants (markets and shops) supported by the municipality.

37. Annual municipal investment in food markets or retail outlets providing fresh food to city residents, as a proportion of total (investment) budget.

Action 33

Acknowledge the informal sector’s contribution to urban food systems (in terms of food supply, job creation, promotion of local diets and environment management) and provide appropriate support and training in areas such as food safety, sustainable diets, waste prevention and management.

Indicators

40. Existence of support services for the informal food sector providing business planning, finance and development advice

Milan Pact Awards special mentions on Food Supply and Distribution

Food supply and distribution

Structuring the sustainable supply

Montpellier

2019

Urban rural coexistence public meal service

Seoul

2018

Planning for short food supply chains

Ljubljana

2017

Grab some good

Toronto

2016

Food Waste

City leaders and policy makers that want to reduce food waste, as well as manage it in a more sustainable way, adopting a circular economy approach, can use the recommended actions of this category that lists down actions such as raising awareness of food loss and waste, recovering and redistributing food, etc.

Discover the 4 recommended actions for the Food Waste category.

Action 34

Convene food system actors to assess and monitor food loss and waste reduction at all stages of the city region food supply chain, (including production, processing, packaging, safe food preparation, presentation and handling, re-use and recycling) and ensure holistic planning and design, transparency, accountability and policy integration.

Indicators

41. Total annual volume of food losses & waste

42. Annual number of events and campaigns aimed at decreasing food loss and waste.

Action 35

Raise awareness of food loss and waste through targeted events and campaigns; identify focal points such as educational institutions, community markets, company shops and other solidarity or circular economy initiatives.

Indicators

41. Total annual volume of food losses and waste

42. Annual number of events and campaigns aimed at decreasing food loss and waste.

Action 36

Collaborate with the private sector along with research, educational and community-based organisations to develop and review, as appropriate, municipal policies and regulations (e.g. processes, cosmetic and grading standards, expiration dates, etc.) to prevent waste or safely recover food and packaging using a “food use-not-waste” hierarchy.

Indicators

43. Presence of policies or regulations that address food waste prevention, recovery and redistribution

Action 37

Save food by facilitating recovery and redistribution for human consumption of safe and nutritious foods, if applicable, that are at risk of being lost, discarded or wasted from production, manufacturing, retail, catering, wholesale and hospitality.

Indicators

44. Total annual volume of surplus food recovered and redistributed for direct human consumption

Milan Pact Awards special mentions on Food Waste

Food Waste

Municipal Programme on Food Waste and Loss Combat

Sao Paulo

2019

Progetto Organico Porta Palazzo: Towards Circular Markets

Torino

2018

Food waste reduction in health-care institutions

Bruges

2017

From food waste to healthy off season food

Riga

2016

How to sign
the Pact

More and more cities choose to join forces with other like-minded actors in working on sustainable food systems and urban food policies. The Milan Pact can be signed by local governments -cities and metropolitan areas- only. Signing the Milan Pact is a fairly simple procedure, and no fees are applied at any stage of the process. Cities interested in signing the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact are invited to get in touch with the MUFPP Secretariat to receive all necessary information.

Please write at

Milan Urban Food Policy Pact

More than 50% of the world’s population currently lives in urban areas, a proportion that is projected to increase to almost 70% by 2050.

How it works

Governance

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How to sign the Pact

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MUFPP SecretariatVia Sile, 820139 Milan - Italy

Help

How to sign
the Pact

MUFPP Secretariat
Via Sile, 8
20139 Milan - Italy