Local food for local markets
”Discover how the project ’Local food for local markets’ strengthens collaborations between producers and the public sector for sustainable food supply in our area.”
About the project
Local food for local markets – a step towards sustainable solutions
”Local food for local markets”, driven in collaboration between Södertälje municipality and several other actors within Leader Sörmlandskusten. The project aims to strengthen the connection between local food producers and the public sector to create sustainable business models, improve logistics, and develop new forms of collaboration.
Why is this project needed?
The food supply faces major challenges, especially in a world marked by pandemics, climate change, and other global crises. Our project focuses on creating overlapping systems for local food production that are robust, flexible, and sustainable. We particularly work with organic staple products such as potatoes, vegetables, meat, milk, and grain products.
The project's goals
The project has several concrete goals, including:
- Develop innovative procurement documents and contract models that facilitate local producers' participation in public procurement.
- Establish new logistics and storage solutions that support the distribution of local organic food.
- Strengthen collaborations between producers, wholesalers, and the public sector to ensure long-term sustainable businesses.
What does this mean for our municipalities and producers?
By improving infrastructure and creating stronger networks, we will contribute to:
- Increased security and predictability for both producers and municipal meal operations.
- Reduced environmental impact through shorter transport distances and increased use of organic products.
- Improved crisis preparedness through local supply systems.
Collaboration and anchoring
The project builds on experiences from the previous Vinnova project ”Prototype: Local food for local markets,” where we identified the biggest challenges and opportunities for creating sustainable business models. Collaborations with actors such as Ekodistrikt Sörmland, Sörmlands Matkluster, and several municipalities have provided us with a strong foundation to stand on.
The future
We look forward to sharing results and lessons from the project with other municipalities and regions, with the goal of creating a model that can be used throughout Sweden. By working together, we can build a sustainable future for our local producers and residents.
Project
”From field to plate – sustainable solutions for local food!”
Justification
Local food for local markets contributes to developing a stronger collaboration between the public sector and the local business community to increase the production, processing, and distribution of organic staple foods. The LAG board notes that it is primarily Södertälje municipality that sees great value in focusing on organic production, in line with their high ambitions. However, the board sees this more as a practical limitation to keep the procurement manageable and avoid the project becoming too extensive. That the project will develop and test procurement documents, logistics services, and storage solutions for local food distribution, as well as engage local producers through workshops, is perhaps what is needed for small food producers to be able to respond to and have the capacity to meet the requirements of public procurements. MatLust has previously demonstrated its commitment and expertise in leading successful projects in sustainable food production, and we therefore have great confidence in their ability to deliver valuable results here as well.
About the project
The project under processing
The project is prioritized by the Leaders board but awaits formal decision from the Swedish Board of Agriculture.
Project period
2024-2026
Project owner
Matlust Södertälje municipality
Project Manager
Helena Nordlund
helena.nordlund@sodertalje.se
Kerstin Engström
08-5230 3640
kerstin.engstrom@sodertalje.se
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About the project
The purpose of the project is to develop and strengthen the collaboration between the public sector and local businesses to increase production, processing, and distribution of organic staple foods, with a focus on crisis preparedness and sustainability in food supply.
CASE:
”The overall objective of the project is to create a sustainable and competitive market for locally produced organic staple foods by developing innovative procurement documents and contract models, as well as establishing new logistics and storage solutions that support efficient distribution to the public sector.”
The project's goals are to:
- develop and test a new procurement document and contract model for locally produced organic staple foods that can be used by the public sector.
- Develop and test a new logistics service that streamlines the distribution of local organic foods to public kitchens.
- Develop a new storage and packing solution for local food distribution.
- conduct a number of workshops with local food producers
Activities:
The activities in the project are project management, administration, travel, studies, inventories, surveys, training, process management, workshops, meetings, and consulting.
About financing
Granted leader support
1,249,111 kronor
of which LAG fund 228,605 kr
Co-financing from municipalities
274,032 kronor
Total financing
1,523,143 kronor
The Leader support consists of funding from the EU, the state and Leader Sörmland Coast.
Incoming EU funds have been granted from:
Rural Development Fund
