site.btaNumber of Initiatives Open 6th National Good Food Access Week

On World Food Day, October 16, the Bulgarian Meat Tradition Foundation in partnership with Euro-Toques Bulgaria, the European Law Society, the Civil Institute Foundation, the EcoCentric Foundation, the Hrankoop movement and the Association of Schools of Restaurant and Hotel Management launched the 6th National Week of Access to Good Food. The initiatives are held under the patronage of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, organizers said Wednesday.

By a decision taken on the day of its establishment (October 16, 1945), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) proclaimed October 16 as World Food Day, which is celebrated in over 150 countries, with Bulgaria joining in 2006.

In 2007, a research project was launched to investigate practices and challenges to good food accessibility in Bulgaria. As part of the project, the partners organize an annual national conference on access to good food, at which research findings are presented and challenges and good practices in the regulatory framework, production, marketing and public image of good food are discussed. The annual Access to Good Food Awards are presented.

The tenth national conference Access to Good Food will be held on October 23 and 24 at Park Hotel Vitosha, Sofia.

Initiatives for the national week of access to good food

During the 6th National Week of Access to Good Food, events will be held across Bulgaria. These include municipal forums to promote municipal food policies; school debates; open dialogue; open kitchens - children and students visiting local kitchens and meeting leading local chefs; open markets - children and students visiting farmers' markets and meeting local farmers; open producers - visits of children and students to producers of traditional, farm and artisanal foods and meetings with owners, technologists and craftsmen, etc. 

Access to Good Food 2024 Annual Awards

In order to promote the contribution to the expansion of access to good food in 2014, the Bulgarian Meat Tradition Foundation and the Civil Institute established the annual Access to Good Food Awards as a public recognition of the nominee's initiatives and overall activities.

The categories are "Overall Contribution", "Public Policy", "Municipal Policy", "Youth Entrepreneurship", "Public Image", "Culinary Tourism Product", "Local Market", "Child Nutrition", "School", "Kindergarten", as well as a special award for an inspiring event of the National Access to Good Food Week 2024.