In the final year, partners concentrated on consolidating the extensive knowledge generated through collaboration among researchers, experts, and city officials. The project produced 18 deliverables, with three flagship outputs—the Final Publication, Replication Handbook, and Crosscutting Managers’ Final Report. Cities finalized 10 formally approved local food strategies through participatory processes involving local stakeholders, including politicians and community representatives. The 31 pilot actions, engaging 174 stakeholders, addressed key themes of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact (MUFPP).
Researchers played a critical role in implementing a participatory evaluation of the pilots, using theory of change, data collection tools, and self-assessment questionnaires for city officials. These activities culminated in reports documenting progress and assessing the impact of pilots.
Seven policy briefs addressed critical topics such as impact investments, EU Child Guarantee and school meals, stakeholder engagement through food policy councils, and multilevel governance, offering insights and strategies to guide local authorities and policymakers.
Knowledge exchange was organised with bilateral city collaborations, partnerships with 28 cascade cities, and thematic workshops supported by experts, analysed in the replication scientific report. Lessons learned were compiled in a multilingual handbook, and shared across city partners networks.
Events held locally and internationally, such as the Copenhagen conference on public food procurement and the Brussels final conference, showcased urban food policy impacts. The combination of videos and podcasts generated broad interest in food policy topics, involving Think Tank members through webinars, articles, and public events.
Annual and mid-year partner meetings facilitated targeted interactive sessions among cities and partners. The Crosscutting Managers elaborated a final report bridging local political commitment with the broader Food2030 agenda, ensuring cities addressed all thematic priorities holistically.
Food Trails updated its exploitation plan, identifying 12 Key Exploitable Results (KERs), such as developed tools and methodologies. These KERs were analysed for challenges, benefits, and sustainability, and are primed for uptake through cities' networks. This exploitation strategy positions Food Trails' results as a foundation for future urban food policies and broader European food system transformation.
