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A new collaborative initiative launched under the European Joint Action JA PreventNCD is helping French cities share experiences and develop local projects aimed at improving access to healthy food for vulnerable populations.
The initiative, coordinated by the French Healthy Cities Network, brings together municipalities and urban conglomerations working on programmes that combine food distribution with health promotion activities. The approach emerged following the strong interest generated by Strasbourg’s “Green Prescription” project, implemented between 2022 and 2023, which offered organic vegetable baskets to pregnant women alongside educational workshops.
Workshop on endocrine disruptors in Strasbourg during a field visit on ‘Green Prescription’ in November 2024. Credit: French Healthy Cities
An innovative way to share experiences
Building on this momentum, an “Action Transferability Group” was created in September 2024 to help other territories adapt and replicate similar initiatives. The group includes three reference cities - Strasbourg, Amiens and Besançon - which share previous experience in implementing food basket schemes linked to health promotion, and five pilot territories - Bordeaux, Rennes, the urban conglomerations of La Rochelle, Metz and Angoulême - which have been developing their own local projects throughout 2024 and 2025.
Alongside the Action Transferability Group, a wider discussion network involving 25 French cities and urban conglomerations has also been established. Through this discussion group, participating municipalities can exchange resources, discuss alternative approaches and contribute with recommendations based on their own experience.
Reducing inequities through healthy food
Although each initiative targets different population groups, all of them share a common objective: reducing health inequities. Five local projects focus on pregnant women, promoting healthier eating habits and reducing exposure to endocrine disruptors, while three the other three support low-income populations through improved access to fresh and healthy food.
All the local projects combine the distribution of food baskets with educational workshops on nutrition, cooking, health and environmental awareness, etc. Some local programmes additionally organise farm visits, community activities and information sessions about access to social rights and support services.
Basket distribution in Rennes. Credit: Arnaud Loubry, Rennes Ville et Métropole
From local experiences to shared recommendations
The French Healthy Cities Network coordinates the exchange between participating territories, organises practical meetings and supports pilot cities throughout the implementation process. The network also acts as a key intermediary, serving as a bridge between local action and higher-level institutions by relaying feedback and sharing experiences beyond the network with national and local health authorities, ministries, NGOs and other relevant stakeholders, helping to ensure wider dissemination and uptake of the work carried out.
Cooking workshop in GrandAngoulême. Credit: French Healthy Cities
The initiative also seeks to gather and document these experiences, highlighting the outcomes achieved for beneficiaries, stakeholders and broader community dynamics. In doing so, it offers a valuable opportunity to assess the involvement of a wide range of actors in promoting access to healthy food, including local health, agriculture and food departments, elected representatives, producers, health professionals and social actors.
Bringing cities and urban conglomerations together enables the exploration of different ways to strengthen access to healthy food, including food baskets, vouchers or monetary transfers. This collaborative dynamic contributes to developing an integrative approach to health in cities and has a positive impact on the health of beneficiaries. It also reinforces advocacy efforts for stronger collective collaboration with institutions such as ministries, national healthcare systems and NGOs. The experiences gathered through the initiative will feed into a methodological guide expected to be published in 2027.
Healthy food project manager
Alexandra Bastin
French Healthy Cities Network, France
Healthy Living Environments Communications Officer
Lluís Pascual i Vidal
Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research of the Valencian Community (Fisabio), Spain