21 May 2026 – In May, the Museo MEOC in Aggius hosted the second stop of the SWITCH Marathon, a series of events taking place across Europe to showcase local initiatives advancing sustainable food systems through the Horizon Europe SWITCH project. The event was dedicated to the mindful use of local supply chain products and the final presentation of the La Buona Tavola initiative.
Promoted by the SWITCH project, Laore Sardegna, the Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change (CMCC), the Municipality of Aggius, and the Unione dei Comuni Alta Gallura, the event brought together institutions, schools, producers, and local communities to reflect on how to build fairer, healthier, and more sustainable food systems rooted in local needs and territorial identities. It also marked the culmination of a participatory journey that engaged local stakeholders in reimagining the future of school catering across Alta Gallura.
The afternoon was moderated by Jeanne Francine Murgia, Director of the Unione dei Comuni dell’Alta Gallura, who has championed the La Buona Tavola initiative from the outset. She highlighted the importance of coordinated action among municipalities and demonstrated how collaboration can drive meaningful change in local food governance.
Andrea Cerimele (Laore Sardegna), coordinator of the Sardinia Food Hub within SWITCH, together with Lara Abou Chehade and Daniele Pulino from Fondazione CMCC, presented the project’s objectives, the activities carried out across the region, and the essential role of science in supporting effective and evidence-based food system transformation. Simona Tidu, Laore’s local coordinator for La Buona Tavola, retraced the participatory process that brought together schools, public authorities, producers, and citizens through workshops, round tables, and educational activities involving children.
Institutional representatives from the Municipality of Aggius also shared why local administrations have placed school catering at the heart of their educational and social policies, underlining the value of developing a shared vision for school meals across the municipalities of Alta Gallura.
A key moment of the event was the presentation of the draft guidelines for the new school catering service, developed through the participatory process. The guidelines promote the use of local and seasonal products to strengthen regional supply chains, reduce environmental impacts, and reinforce the educational role of school meals as a tool for fostering healthier and more sustainable food habits.
The event concluded with voices from the community itself. Through testimonies and reflections gathered over months of collaborative work, policymakers, educators, producers, and local stakeholders shared their experiences, demonstrating the value of a process built on dialogue, participation, and collective responsibility.
The journey culminated in the signing of the SWITCH Manifesto, symbolising a shared commitment to continue working together towards a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable future for school food in Alta Gallura. As a stop on the SWITCH Marathon, the event highlighted how local collaboration and participatory governance can become powerful drivers of food system transformation across Europe.
