Food-C

About Food-C

Food.C is a public-sector territorial initiative led by Charleroi Métropole to accelerate the transition toward a healthier, more sustainable, local, and accessible food system for the area and, more broadly, Wallonia. It brings together public actors and local stakeholders around a shared strategy for food relocalization, with a focus on structuring projects that can create durable value for the territory and its residents.

The initiative is aimed at producers, processors, distributors, public buyers, entrepreneurs, and citizens. It positions itself as a coordinator and facilitator rather than a commercial operator: Food.C helps connect actors, identify bottlenecks, and support the development of concrete projects across the food chain, from production and logistics to transformation, collective catering, training, and awareness.

Its market positioning is strongly mission-driven. Food.C frames local food not as a niche or inward-looking approach, but as a practical reconfiguration of food systems in response to climate, health, social, and economic challenges.

Core Values

• Local food relocalization: Food.C promotes shorter supply chains and stronger territorial food systems, with local production and local outlets at the center of its approach.
• Health and accessibility: The strategy explicitly links food to public health and aims to make healthy food accessible to everyone, including through collective catering and public action.
• Sustainability and climate action: Food.C emphasizes durable food systems, agroecological transition, and reduced environmental impact across the food chain.
• Fairness for producers: The initiative highlights better remuneration, fairer value distribution, and improved working conditions for producers and other actors in the chain.
• Collaboration and coordination: Food.C is built on multi-actor cooperation, bringing together public bodies, territorial partners, and sector stakeholders around shared projects.
• Learning and innovation: The strategy supports training, research, experimentation, and new business models to help the sector evolve.

Unique Aspects

• Public territorial platform: Food.C is not a private brand but a public coordination strategy led by Charleroi Métropole, giving it a system-level role in food transition.
• Anchored in a broader regional program: The initiative is supported by the Walloon call for projects "Relocalisons l’alimentation en Wallonie," which financed its coordination role and formal governance structure.
• Strong project pipeline: Food.C is tied to several concrete territorial projects, including a central kitchen, logistics hubs, transformation facilities, and entrepreneurship spaces such as "la Marmite."
• Multi-stakeholder governance: Its governance includes a biannual COMAC, a follow-up committee, and planned food policy council structures involving public authorities and field actors.
• Integration with local support ecosystems: Food.C works alongside organizations such as Charleroi Entreprendre, Sambrinvest, IGRETEC, and sector partners to connect entrepreneurship, financing, land access, and implementation support.
• Territory-wide reach: The strategy is designed for Charleroi Métropole and its 30 communes, with an ambition to serve a population of about 600,000 inhabitants.