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AML Alimenta

Developing a healthy and sustainable diet

The partnership agreement between AML (Área Metropolitana de Lisboa), A2S (Associação para o Desenvolvimento Sustentável da Região Saloia), ADREPES (Associação de Desenvolvimento Regional da Península de Setúbal), and DRAPLVT (Direção Regional de Agricultura e Pescas de Lisboa e Vale do Tejo), which makes the AML Alimenta project viable, was approved by the Lisbon Metropolitan Council at a meeting held on April 28, 2022, at the headquarters of the Área Metropolitana de Lisboa.

The project, whose main objectives are to contribute to the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development policies in the area of balanced and healthy eating, comes as part of the work of the AML Agri-Food Parks Network, which was recently set up with more than 20 partners (local authorities, central administration agencies, universities, associations of promoters, cooperatives and NGOs) and is coordinated by AML, CCDRLVT and the Institute of Social Sciences at the University of Lisbon.

Three thematic areas are being worked on: sustainable food, promoting the Mediterranean diet and reducing food waste. The total amount of funding is 250,000 euros (RDP 2020 application).

It should be remembered that AML has already been working on sustainability and food transition issues since 2019, when, together with the CCDRLVT, it drew up the Lisboa 2030 Regional Strategy and identified Environmental and Food Sustainability as a priority dimension.

Sustainability

Sustentação - AML Alimenta, which took place between October 2023 and February 2024, aimed to train and raise awareness among the school community in the Lisbon metropolitan area about food sustainability, the Mediterranean diet and the fight against food waste.

A total of 25 visits were made to 31 schools in 13 municipalities, involving around 500 students (from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd cycles), 80 teachers and 80 canteen staff.

The Área Metropolitana de Lisboa and the other partners in the project would like to thank all the participants for their dedication, involvement and exchange of ideas.

As you can see in the infographic, the figures highlight the level of satisfaction of those involved, the importance of teamwork and, above all, the importance of choosing healthy and sustainable food and reducing food waste.

The Markets of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area - A Strategy to Enhance Local Production and the Markets of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area

Presentation

The strategy for enhancing local markets in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, conceived as part of the activities of the AML Alimenta project, was presented in June 2024 at an initiative held at the Livramento Market in Setúbal.

The strategy is the result of an extensive consultation process with agricultural producers who sell at local markets and the managers of these spaces.

By highlighting local production in the markets, the aim is to give greater prominence to the Mediterranean diet, sustainable food and the fight against food waste.

This work, as a whole, is an essential part of the Food Transition Strategy for the Lisbon metropolitan area.

The objectives inherent in the strategy of enhancing local markets, presented by Rui Almeida, from CONSULAI, and José Diogo, from A2S - Association for the Sustainable Development of the Saloia Region, reinforce the importance of highlighting and enhancing local production, through effective promotion and marketing actions, the modernization of structures, the diversification of supply, networking and the promotion of environmental sustainability.

At the opening session, Pedro Pina, Setúbal City Council councillor, highlighted the importance of consolidating local markets as spaces for good practice and landmarks of social, cultural and economic identity within the Lisbon metropolitan area.

The president of the Setúbal Peninsula Regional Development Association, Joaquim Carapeto, stressed the importance of putting the markets on the healthy eating route and of getting young people more involved.

Rita Barradas, vice-president of the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Regional Coordination and Development Commission, stressed the need to promote healthy eating, product traceability and short circuits between producers and consumers.

The forum also featured a round table discussion, moderated by Custódia Correia, from the National Network for the Common Agricultural Policy, which highlighted various experiences of making the most of local markets, such as those followed at the Terras de São Pedro Municipal Market (São Pedro do Sul), the Mercado dos Lavradores (Famalicão), the markets run by the municipality of Setúbal, the Algarve Regional Network of Local Markets, and other local markets in Portugal and abroad.

In the closing session, Filipe Ferreira, secretary of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, highlighted the inclusion of the issue of food on the political agenda until 2030, highlighting the recent construction of the AML Food Transition Strategy, with the involvement of numerous entities, many of them also members of the Foodlink network.

Given the substantial reduction in funding available in the region for the development of projects, Filipe Ferreira stressed the need to find alternative financing solutions, for example within the framework of programs whose management depends directly on the European Commission.

Final report (summary)

he Lisbon Metropolitan Area (AML), in its 18 municipalities, has a variety of local markets and fairs that play a very significant role in supplying the population with fresh produce, as well as in the economic, cultural and social dynamics of the region.

Over time, these spaces, which play a fundamental role in the history and identity of the places where they are located, have lost some of their affluence and are currently facing a series of challenges that threaten their long-term relevance and sustainability, requiring specific intervention to revitalize them.

There are, however, a number of opportunities that deserve to be analyzed and that could bring significant improvements, through the implementation of a valorization strategy based on a holistic approach, capable of increasing the awareness of local markets among consumers and the general population.

A very important aspect that deserves to be highlighted is the existence of local production in various AML markets.

Although local markets do not currently have a large contingent of producers offering their own products, their presence is an important factor in differentiating these spaces, attracting many consumers.

The promotion of local production thus takes on added importance, encouraging consumers to adopt more positive attitudes towards proximity consumption and to look for alternative models that favor healthy and sustainable food from local production,

following the principles of the Mediterranean Diet and combating food waste, thus supporting the objectives of the AML Food Transition Strategy.

Actions such as effective promotion and marketing, modernizing structures, diversifying the offer, networking and promoting environmental sustainability are initiatives that can help revitalize these important centers of economic, cultural and social activity in AML.

See the full document here .

Survey of AML market producers

Here are the results of the 142 surveys carried out on producers in 28 markets in the Lisbon metropolitan area.

Notions of Food Hygiene and Safety (key points needed to maintain food safety and good marketing practices in municipal markets)

Food safety, from production to consumption (Plate to Plate), is one of the fundamental principles of the European Union. The hygiene requirements for the primary production of vegetables were established in 2004, in Annex I of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004, which came into force
in 2006.

Despite the legal and institutional requirements in place to guarantee food safety, municipal markets need to overcome other challenges that are often encountered.

This presentation aims to describe the key points needed to maintain food safety and good marketing practices throughout this supply chain.

See the full document here.

Valuing Local Markets - Good Practice Guide

A brief guide to good practices in planning the use of phytopharmaceuticals, care to be taken at the point of sale to enhance local production and improve presentation, the importance of identifying the location of farms, and hygiene and food safety in the field.

See the full document here.

Updated on 10/07/2024
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