Objective of Work Package : This WP investigates the ‘social foundation’ of urban food systems in Norway by identifying the socioeconomic, cultural and spatial factors influencing food inequities in Trondheim and Oslo. It will examine differences in access to healthy and sustainable foods and green spaces, as well as opportunities for alternative food provisioning, and identify the conditions that reproduce inequalities among low-income groups and deprived urban areas. Through a comparative perspective, WP2 will provide insights into what constitutes a sustainable, just and healthy urban food system in the Norwegian context.

Methodology :To study the social foundation of urban food systems, WP2 will combine socioeconomic, cultural and socio-spatial analyses to understand the interplay between food availability, accessibility, affordability and social factors. First, socioeconomic analysis will investigate how food intake varies across socioeconomic, gender and ethnic backgrounds, using the Oslo Public Health Survey (FHUS), existing dietary data sources and data on neighbourhood deprivation (T2.1). Cultural analysis will complement this through a review of popular, policy and scientific documents on food in Norwegian urban areas, followed by in-depth interviews and focus groups with participants representing diverse backgrounds, including immigrants, low-income groups and stakeholders involved in food provision and access. Second, socio-spatial analysis will systematically map food environments and socioeconomic disparities in Trondheim and Oslo, including access to green areas, the distribution of food outlets and opportunities for alternative food provisioning such as community gardens and REKO-ringen (T2.2). Existing mappings in Oslo will be complemented by new mapping activities, particularly in Trondheim. Finally, a comparative analysis will identify similarities and differences between the two cities and key factors affecting their social foundations (T2.3). Together, these analyses will provide the social-foundation component of the adapted Doughnut approach and identify challenges and opportunities that will feed directly into the co-creation and policy development activities in WP3.

Output : An integrated assessment of the socioeconomic, cultural and spatial dimensions of urban food inequalities in Trondheim and Oslo, including comparative analyses of their food environments and social foundations, providing evidence for identifying interventions and developing policy solutions for more equitable, healthy and sustainable urban food systems.