For more bioregionality: District councillors and mayors support eco-model region Münsterland

Out-of-home gastronomy currently in focus

The joint project "Öko-Modellregion Münsterland" was launched in December 2022. Its aim is to increase the share of bioregionally produced products in the fields, on supermarket shelves, in canteens and in shopping baskets. In this way, it contributes to maintaining strong agriculture and the food trade as well as to sustainably increasing climate and environmental protection, biodiversity and animal welfare. This was also emphasised by the district councillors of Borken, Coesfeld, Steinfurt and Warendorf and the Lord Mayor of Münster at their regular conference in Münster on 2 June. The districts as well as the city are project partners.

"We are pleased that the eco-model region Münsterland is now picking up speed," said District Administrator Dr. Olaf Gericke as speaker of the conference. "Together as a region, we want to advance the topic of organic regionalism in order to strengthen regional value chains. In this way we support climate protection, sustainability and improve the quality of life of the people in Münsterland," said Gericke.

One important measure, for example, is to increase the share of bio-regional ingredients in out-of-home catering. Actors from the canteen and catering sectors in Münsterland are to be encouraged to deal with the topic of organic regionality and to make use of the advisory services offered by the project management at Münsterland e.V. Klaus Ehling, board member of Münsterland e.V., calls: "Now is the time to tackle it! We invite operators of community catering such as companies and businesses, public institutions, administration, hospitals, nursing homes, schools or day-care centres to contact the project team if they are interested, to inform themselves, to exchange ideas and to get advice."

Project manager Dr. Christine Kanand explains the offer: "Often canteen operators or caterers are interested in using more regional and more organic food in principle, but taking the first steps and finding the raw materials and a producer is time-consuming. We therefore provide support on this path: with contacts to bio-regional suppliers as well as the networking of kitchens to exchange experiences, for example on the topics of guest communication or menu planning - and we are a contact point on the way to organic certification." It is not a matter of switching completely to organic regional ingredients, but rather of integrating them into one's own offer and thinking about them.

Kanand sees advantages for the operators especially in addressing the guests. "More and more consumers are paying attention to regionality and sustainability when it comes to food. Canteens can thus meet this interest, support regional producers and also contribute to climate and environmental protection."

Interested parties can contact Dr. Christine Kanand (phone: +49 2571 949370, e-mail: oekomodellregion@muensterland.com) or subscribe to a newsletter on the internet at www.go.muensterland.com/oekonewsletter. At the same time, the project manager, in cooperation with the Münsterland districts and the city of Münster, will approach selected businesses in the out-of-home catering sector in order to win them over for active cooperation.

In addition, events and coaching sessions are planned for the coming years at which interested parties can inform themselves and network. For example, on 31 May, around 40 stakeholders from the food and nutrition industry came together at the event "NRW cooks with organic" in Münster. Anyone interested in the presented contents and discussions can also contact Dr. Christine Kanand.

Further information on the project
In the joint project "Öko-Modellregion Münsterland", the four districts of Münsterland and the city of Münster are working together with the chambers of agriculture and the LEADER regions. Under the leadership of Münsterland e.V., the following goals are being pursued from 2022 to 2025: Strengthen the regional agriculture and food industry according to ecological standards, create the widest possible range of organic regional food for the people of the region and thus protect livelihoods and increase animal welfare. The networking agency at Münsterland e.V. is therefore starting with various measures to increase the quota of organic regional ingredients in out-of-home catering and to establish shelves with organic products from Münsterland in food retailing. In addition, the production of other organic regional products is to be encouraged. Further information can be found online at www.oekolandbau.nrw.de/oeko-modellregionen. The project is funded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Consumer Protection of the State of NRW.