Karlsruhe hosts first Food Summit for a healthy, sustainable future

Shaping the future together: planning healthy nutrition in a circular manner

On 16 September 2025, the City of Karlsruhe hosted its first Food Summit, bringing together around 50 invited participants from civil society, business, research, and local administration. Held in the Karlskantine, the municipal canteen known for its sustainable approach, the event marked a new step in shaping a healthy and fair food future for the city.

Opening and shared purpose

Deputy Mayor Bettina Lisbach, responsible for environment and sustainability, welcomed participants and underlined the importance of public catering for Karlsruhe’s climate and health goals. She pointed to the many initiatives and enterprises already contributing to a more sustainable food culture in the region.

The organisers – Sandra Schmidt (KA.Wert), Indah Siemon (City of Karlsruhe), Pia Laborgne, Eva Wendeberg and Wanda Wieczorek (KAT), and Romy Marquart (lokalprojekte) – reflected on the careful preparation leading up to the summit. Taking time to build mutual trust between administration and civil society, they noted, was essential to creating the open and constructive atmosphere that defined the event.

Learning from Sweden and regional voices

The keynote was delivered by Dr Rebecka Milestad from the Swedish Defense Research Agency, who illustrated how food responsibility is structured in Sweden and shared insights from the municipality of Södertälje, which has pioneered local food strategies. Her presentation highlighted both the complexity and the promise of building regional supply chains at the municipal level.

A panel discussion followed with contributions from the Freiburg Food Council, a University of Freiburg researcher, the Karlskantine operator and a City of Karlsruhe representative. Together they discussed how organic and regional food can become the new normal in public catering – and what political and logistical frameworks are needed to make this happen.

Collaborative working tables

In the second half of the event, participants joined working tables on key topics:

• Food cycles
• Community catering in canteens
• Catering in educational institutions
• Food justice
• Regional production and marketing

The discussions were lively and solution-oriented, revealing both the shared ambitions and the structural challenges across sectors. Many participants met in person for the first time and used the opportunity to establish new connections.

Good food, good conversations

True to the theme, the Karlskantine’s kitchen team served an inspiring, largely plant-based and bioregional menu – a tangible example of sustainable catering in practice. The shared meal created space for informal conversations and helped bridge perspectives between administration, civil society and business.

Outlook

By the end of the day, participants agreed: the first Karlsruhe Food Summit was a resounding success. It demonstrated what can happen when people from very different sectors come together around a shared goal – to make healthy, fair and sustainable food the standard for all.
A second Karlsruhe Food Summit is already planned for spring 2026.