Verein GastroFutura is rethinking the role of gastronomy in building a more sustainable food system in Switzerland. As a practice-oriented platform, the organisation works closely with restaurants, caterers, and food businesses to translate sustainability from an abstract ambition into concrete, economically viable action. By combining business levers such as menu design, procurement, and operational efficiency with ecological goals, it helps actors across the sector move towards more resilient and future-proof models.

With Food Quartiere Basel-Stadt-Land, GastroFutura is taking this work a step further. The project aims to address a fundamental gap in today’s food system: while awareness and sustainable production are growing, the structures that connect producers with everyday consumption remain fragmented. Small-scale producers often lack stable routes to market, while restaurants and institutional buyers struggle to access regional, sustainable products at scale.

Food Quartiere intends to foster a local ecosystem that links production, procurement, and demand. Bringing together producers, gastronomy, retail, and public catering, it creates new forms of collaboration and shared infrastructure that make sustainable sourcing more accessible and economically viable. In doing so, it shifts the focus from individual behaviour change to the redesign of the food environment itself, making sustainable choices the easier, everyday option.

Over the next three years, the Basel-Stadt-Land region will serve as a living laboratory where these approaches are tested and refined in practice. Through continuous learning and close collaboration between local partners, the project hopes to develop solutions that can be adapted and scaled to other regions. In this way, Food Quartiere will contribute to strengthening regional value chains, enabling sustainable entrepreneurship, and creating the conditions for healthier and more mindful consumption.