How will we eat in the coming decades? Food Pride presents itself in Vic as a driving force for change

As concerns about sustainability increase, the way we will eat in the future remains a question that requires deep and urgent reflection. What role will local products play in this new food model? What changes will we need to make to ensure a more efficient, sustainable and competitive system? These questions were the focus of the technical day. The challenges of agri-food distribution networks for sustainable logistics, an event of which the ARA newspaper is one of the collaborating media and which has served to highlight the need to rethink the marketing model of local products.

In this sense, the Minister of Agriculture, Òscar Ordeig, has stressed the need for a more sustainable food model, moving towards a more efficient and competitive food. "We must think about how we will feed ourselves in the coming decades. We cannot continue producing as we did twenty years ago. We need more efficient, sustainable and competitive models," said Ordeig, who took the opportunity to announce that work is being done on an initiative so that 50% of public food purchases come from local producers, a key step.

The event has brought together experts and has had the participation of initiatives such as Terra Pagesa, La Diligencia or Ecologísticos, who have shared their experiences in local distribution. These organisations stressed the importance of creating more efficient logistics models to achieve a sustainable distribution of local products. In addition, digital platforms such as Arrels Market Place, Agrobotigues.coop and Tiendas Km0 have shown how digital tools can facilitate the direct connection between producers and consumers, thus expanding access to local products.

The event closed with a round table discussion on the need for better organisation of the sector to promote joint marketing. In addition, one of the key moments was the presentation of the future Food Pride Foundation by Josep Garcia, executive director of Grup Àpat. This new entity aims to promote the consumption of local products, to build solidarity with the peasantry and to strengthen the Catalan economy. "In 2025 Catalonia will be a World Region of Gastronomy and we must take advantage of this to promote the consumption of Catalan products," Garcia explained.