Aberdeen Earns Gold for Sustainable Food
Local groups are making real change in Aberdeen’s food culture, from shared meals to skills-building.
Aberdeen has become the first city in Scotland, and only the sixth in the UK, to be recognised with a Gold Sustainable Food Places award. This milestone is the culmination of years of collaboration and community-driven projects, highlighting how food can be a powerful force for positive change.
The city’s approach isn’t just about providing meals. Aberdeen’s ‘Food Ladders’ initiative creates spaces where food connects people, builds skills, and offers a sense of dignity and support. This approach also addresses deeper issues, with projects like Food Poverty Action Aberdeen and those supported by Fairer Aberdeen, giving people a voice and reducing the stigma surrounding food poverty.
Would you like to see your message here? Let's talk.
Open Road presents a screening of Meet the Buchanans, an off-beat documentary about the first Clan Buchanan Chief in over 300 years. With missing historical records, much of the inauguration ceremony is improvised, offering a fresh take on the role of Clans today.
Join director Barbara Orton and Professor Alison Lumsden for a post-screening Q&A. Catch it at Fittie Community Hall on Friday 6 June at 7pm, doors open at 6.30pm. Tickets are £5, pay by card or cash.
How Food Brings People Together
Granite City Good Food, the partnership behind this work, has brought together local organisations and individuals to make it happen. At Northfield Academy, first-year students learn to cook healthy meals on a budget. CFINE’s Warehouse Skills Development Programme combines practical food skills with employability training, offering a pathway to more opportunities.
“It’s a great achievement for Aberdeen – the city and its communities,” said Lesley Dunbar of Middlefield Community Project. “Hundreds of people have helped to achieve this award, among them our 60 community growing spaces and 93 Community Food Members.”
Smaller projects are part of the story too. The Mounthooly Roundabout Forest Garden blends environmental awareness with local pride, while the ‘Give Peas a Chance’ campaign playfully encourages a shift towards plant-based diets. Each initiative contributes to a bigger cultural change around food and sustainability.
What’s Next for Aberdeen
The city council has been involved, providing support and recognising the work in plans like the Climate Action Scorecard. However, it’s the effort and creativity of local communities that have driven this forward.
Granite City Good Food is now focused on continuing this progress, working to connect more people and keep food at the centre of community life. The Gold award is a proud moment, but it’s also a sign of what’s possible when a city comes together around something as essential as food.
