Cities Feeding the Future Initiative

The Cities Feeding the Future initiative was launched in October 2023 during the School Meals Coalition First Global Summit in Paris. This initiative is led by the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact (MUFPP) and seeks to support municipalities in their responsibility of implementing school meal programmes, while bridging the gap with national governments. Building from the extensive expertise of the MUFPP, this initiative directly targets local governments in starting or enhancing their school meal programmes. 

While national governments create regulatory frameworks, it is local governments that directly set up and manage programmes, such as school meal programmes. Cities serve as the entry point for translating national laws into tangible actions within their communities. 

Cities possess intimate knowledge of their residents’ needs. By leveraging this understanding, they can provide effective support not only during policy implementation but also in the design of these policies.

The Cities Feeding the Future initiative ensures that national policies become a reality on the ground, benefiting citizens directly. 

The Cities Feeding the Future Initiative supports countries in:  

1. Advocacy:  Through the identification of Champion Mayors and organization of national dialogues, the initiative strives to promote advocacy actions towards national governments and international organizations with the aim of reiterating the key importance of school meals and showcasing front-running examples around the globe. Under this pillar, the initiative organizes events and technical field visits in relevant cities. At the same time, the initiative commits to playing an active role in key SMC regional meetings.   
    
2. Best Practices:  In order to promote the exchange of best practices among cities, the initiative aims to create a comprehensive urban database on school meal programmes and organize technical workshops aimed at sharing best practices and highlighting different approaches from cities.  
    
3. Research:  The initiative seeks to support cities with specific learning needs to co-design new school meal programmes or improve existing ones by providing technical assistance in selected cities through the development of feasibility studies.