28/05/2026
Towards Sustainable Food Systems: Nordic-Baltic Cooperation for a Greener Future (https://food.sscw.ee/)
The international project “Towards Sustainable Food Systems – the Nordic-Baltic Civil Society Approach” successfully brought together civil society organisations, youth representatives, educators, experts and community leaders from across the Nordic and Baltic region to strengthen awareness about sustainable food systems, healthy lifestyles and responsible consumption.
The project was implemented in cooperation with Green Habito RY (Finland), UngOrg (Norway), Compass (Denmark), Möllans Basement (Sweden), PEPP (Iceland), Talent City (Latvia) and Sillamäe Society for Child Welfare (Estonia), with support from the Nordic Council of Ministers.
The project focused on environmental, social and economic sustainability, promoting sustainable food production, reduction of food waste, circular economy principles, healthy nutrition and community-based green initiatives. Particular attention was given to empowering young people and civil society organisations as active promoters of sustainable lifestyles and green transition within their communities.
The programme included international trainings, study visits, expert meetings, workshops, conferences and practical activities across Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Estonia. The project activities involved more than 261 participants from the Nordic and Baltic countries, including youth, educators, NGO representatives, sustainability experts and community leaders.
The project began with an international online seminar and partner meeting in May 2025, where participants discussed the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Nordic Vision 2030 and human-rights-based approaches to sustainable food systems. The virtual meeting gathered 30 participants from across the region.
The first international training took place in Helsinki and Vantaa, Finland, in June 2025 and focused on sustainable food systems, healthy lifestyles, Nordic food culture and environmentally responsible consumption. Experts from Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Estonia shared experiences related to school nutrition, sustainable gardening, food waste reduction and community awareness. During the training, partners also started developing the practical international guidebook “Towards Sustainable Food Systems: A Guidebook for CSOs, Youth and Educators”.
In August 2025, participants gathered in Malmö and Lund, Sweden, for a training and study visit dedicated to sustainable food systems, green consumption and climate-smart food policies. Participants visited universities, sustainable food initiatives and agroecology farms while learning about responsible consumption, plant-based food transition, food waste reduction and environmentally friendly event organisation.
An international expert meeting “Sustainable Food Transition” was organised in November 2025 at Aalborg University and Folkevirke in Denmark. International experts discussed sustainable food policies, healthy school food systems, youth engagement and community participation in green transition processes. Keynote speakers included Professor Michael Søgaard Jørgensen (Aalborg University), Professor Bent Mikkelsen (Lund University) and Assistant Professor Beatriz de Oliveira Teixeira (University of Porto). The meeting also focused on developing the Digital Guidebook on Sustainable Food Transition and planning future Nordic-Baltic cooperation initiatives.
One of the major final events of the programme was the Nordic-Baltic Sustainability Conference 2025 “Transforming Nordic Sustainable Food Systems through Policy Change and Cooperation”, held in Tallinn, Estonia, on 1–2 December 2025. The conference was organised jointly with the annual Estonian National Youth Forum, bringing together young people, experts, educators, civil society organisations and partner institutions from across the Nordic-Baltic region. The event gathered 143 participants, including international participants from Estonia 🇪🇪, Finland 🇫🇮, Sweden 🇸🇪, Denmark 🇩🇰, Norway 🇳🇴, Iceland 🇮🇸 and Latvia 🇱🇻. Participants discussed sustainable food systems, responsible consumption, climate adaptation, food waste reduction, environmental education and community engagement. The conference included keynote speeches, workshops, panel discussions and practical sessions focused on strengthening Nordic-Baltic cooperation and promoting sustainable development.
As an additional final activity, the Nordic-Baltic Young Chef Competition-Award took place in Narva, Estonia, on 3–4 December 2025. The competition promoted sustainable food culture, responsible consumption and the use of local and seasonal ingredients among young people. International teams from Estonia, Latvia and the Nordic countries prepared sustainable three-course menus while sharing experiences related to environmentally friendly cooking and food culture. The Estonian team won first place, followed by the Nordic joint team and the Latvian team.
The project had a strong social and community impact. It strengthened cooperation between Nordic-Baltic civil society organisations, increased awareness about sustainable lifestyles and environmental responsibility, and encouraged young people to become more active in sustainability and green transition initiatives. One of the key outcomes of the project was the reinformcent of the international cooperation network “European Network “Green Habito”, which will continue promoting sustainable development and community-based cooperation in the future.
Project has been run in frame of SSCW Programm: Sustainability as a lifestyle, with support of Nordic Council of Ministers’ Grant Program for Nordic-Baltic NGO Cooperation 2026