The municipal council wants to make it easier for residents with an unhealthy lifestyle to choose healthy, local and fresh foods. This is why she developed a food agenda.
The idea behind this is that health inequalities between populations and neighborhoods will be reduced through stimulation of healthy eating. “Food is more than just food,” says council member Glimina Shakur. “Food is part of our culture, it connects people and food affects our health and well-being. Groningen must become the healthiest municipality in the Netherlands.”
The municipality offers what are called “live laboratories”. These are various projects to motivate residents to lead a healthier life. This can be done, for example, by cooking and shopping with people, or by cooking lessons at school. Living Labs starts in the North and East city neighborhoods, where poverty and loneliness are relatively high.
The municipality is also focusing on more edible green spaces in public spaces, especially when the environment is petrified. An educational botanical garden and / or food forest will be established in City Park. When greening school yards, edible green spaces are planted, so students can learn about healthy food in a fun way.
Finally, the municipality wants to use information campaigns to draw attention to more plant-based foods. The (partial) substitution of animal proteins with plant proteins is beneficial to health. To give a good example, more vegetarian food is served in the municipal canteens.
