25th September 2025 – Gothenburg | When Gothenburg was named the UN’s new Sustainable Lifestyle Hub yesterday, the new Gothenburg meal was also presented at the UN building in New York. The work on the Gothenburg meal is part of SWITCH Food Hub, which is funded by the EU and aims to develop sustainable and healthy eating habits in the Västra Götaland region. RISE has led the work in collaboration with Göteborg & Co, the West Sweden Tourist Board and the City of Gothenburg with the aim of creating a meal that reflects the city’s identity, food culture and sustainability ambitions.
Internationally renowned chef Marcus Samuelsson served his version of Gothenburg’s new signature dish, Gothenburg Royale, to the audience at the UN building. In collaboration with Visit Sweden, Marcus, who grew up in Gothenburg, spoke about sustainable food and the region’s opportunities with the food of the future.
“Through the Gothenburg Meal, we want to show how food can be a powerful tool for both community and sustainable change. The fact that it was served at the UN headquarters is a strong recognition of the work we have done within SWITCH and Gothenburg’s role in the global sustainability movement,” says Marcus Adevi, researcher at RISE and project manager for the Gothenburg Meal.
The starting point for the Gothenburg Meal was to collect recipes from the public to find Gothenburg’s new signature dish. The dishes are based on local ingredients and flavour traditions, but with a clear focus on sustainability and diversity. The signature dish should be able to be cooked at home, in restaurants and in commercial kitchens. On 28 August 2025, the final was decided during Frihamnsdagarna and Göteborgs Kulturkalas, when Gothenburg Royale was crowned the new Gothenburg Meal.
“Gothenburg is a role model when it comes to sustainability and the food of the future. Through SWITCH, we have created new collaborations between research, the public sector and industry, where the Gothenburg meal shows that a meal can be a platform for engaging people in a transition towards a more sustainable city,” says Maria Biörklund Helgesson, project manager for SWITCH Food Hub Sweden.
The winner and creator of Gothenburg Royale is Malin Boban from Gothenburg, who previously worked at Garveriet with a special focus on sustainability and now works as a chef at Gothia Towers/Svenska Mässan. The new Gothenburg meal consists of mussels and crab salad with Wrångsbäck mayonnaise, seaweed-pickled cabbage, boiled turnips on a chicken cake baked with wholemeal flour and dried tubers, as well as iced silver onion, horseradish and picked dill.
Since 16 September, Gothenburg Royale has been available to purchase at the Gothia Towers hotel in Gothenburg.
