In Tirana, Albania, the Food Trails Living Lab brought municipal staff and local food-system stakeholders together to develop practical responses to challenges in food access, nutrition and sustainability. Food Trails was a four-year EU-funded Horizon 2020 project, launched in October 2020 and led by the City of Milan; its wider consortium included 11 cities, three universities and five food organisations. 4810
Tirana’s work focused on strengthening local food supply chains while improving meals for children and people facing hardship. The city prioritised locally sourced produce for kindergarten canteens and community centres, and worked on creating an agri-food market to connect farmers with residents. It also developed awareness campaigns to prevent and reduce food waste. 12
The Living Lab approach used participatory workshops to bring stakeholders into the design of local actions and food policy. In Tirana, four co-creation workshops involved 50 participants. Twelve food-system stakeholders signed a memorandum of understanding with the municipality, formalising collaboration in support of local food policies. 1 The project’s broader method was to co-design and implement pilot actions in city-based Living Labs, using collaboration and evidence from local initiatives to inform urban food policy. 38
A reported policy outcome was Tirana’s development and approval of a strategy for a more environmentally friendly and equitable food system. 4 The available sources describe the project’s activities and reported outputs, but do not provide a quantified assessment of longer-term effects on food access, nutrition or waste. 14