Sustainable Food

Barcelona City Council, through Barcelona Activa, are promoting the Impulsem el que fas subsidy programme. Was first created in 2017 and is organised into annual campaigns. 629 applications were presented in 2021, 186 of which received funding for the implementation of socio-economic revitalisation and promotional projects in Barcelona’s neighbourhoods. 42 of them were sustainable-food and responsible-consumption projects.

Individuals and organisations that submit can obtain a subsidy of up to 80% of the business project’s total budget, to a limit of €40,000. The period for submitting applications is from 15 March to 22 April, first and last dates inclusive. They can be formalised on the barcelonactiva.cat/impulsemelquefas website.

Who can apply?

Natural persons (city residents) and legal persons (associations, foundations, micro-businesses and small businesses, cooperatives, the self-employed, etc.,) whose residence or main office / local office is in Barcelona.

Which sustainable food and fair-trade projects are eligible for subsidies?

Category 5 of this call for applications concerns the implementation of social or business projects and initiatives, commitments to workers’ rights, the local economy, sustainability and the climate, which help us to progress towards a more responsible change of consumption model, and more specifically, to ensure healthy, fair-trade and sustainable food in the city. This year, the total budget allocated to this category is €500,000.

This new responsible-consumption and sustainable-food model, in line with the commitments undertaken under the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact and the sustainable development goals (SDG), is based on the following premises:

• Relocation – reinforcing the local economy and agriculture.
• Combating climate change.
• Agroecological transition and food sovereignty.
• Sustainability of people’s lives.
• Respect for the territory and fostering a culture of farming and land.
• Right to proper nutrition.

In particular given Barcelona’s status as World Capital of Sustainable Food in 2021, the city will have a new Government Measure on sustainable food this year. Submitted projects need to be in line with this approach and justify initiatives aimed at achieving the specific goals established for the various types of action.

What are the types of initiatives?

The main type of initiative that projects are submitted for must be specified on the application form, . Furthermore, projects must contribute to the economic recovery of the area they are located in, from the perspective of sustainable-agrifood models and responsible consumption. The three types of initiatives are:

• Marketing and distribution of healthy, fair and sustainable food.
• Fostering responsible consumption (including food).
• Fostering responsible consumption and sustainable food in schools and the educational community in general.

Food Coop BCN, the first cooperative supermarket project, funded in the 2021 edition

Food Coop BCN is Barcelona’s first cooperative supermarket, and the second in Catalonia, inspired by international experiences, such as the Brooklyn cooperative supermarket. Boasting a surface area of 240 m2, it opened in February 2022, in Passatge d’Aragó, 9, in Eixample. It offers a wide range of products for meeting a household’s basic needs in responsible-consumption food, hygiene and cleaning, under social, environmental and local criteria. It currently has a social base of 450 consumer members.