What it is
The Milan Urban Food Policy Pact is an agreement between mayors on food policy. More than 100 cities signed it in Milan on 15 October 2015, as a legacy of Expo 2015. It is built around a Framework for Action of 37 recommended actions in six categories, from governance and diets to food supply and waste.
The Global Forum is where the signatory cities meet. The organiser describes it as an international event run mainly by cities for cities, where they exchange knowledge, build partnerships and report on their food policies, with international organisations taking part. It has moved between host cities: Rome at FAO headquarters in 2016, Valencia in 2017, Tel Aviv-Yafo in 2018, Montpellier in 2019, Barcelona in 2021 and Rio de Janeiro in 2022. In October 2025 it returned to Milan to mark the Pact’s first ten years.
How the programme works
The 2025 forum ran for five days, from 13 to 17 October, and mixed plenaries, thematic sessions and field visits across Milan. According to the edition page, it brought together over 500 attendees, including delegates from more than 130 cities, along with international and civil society organisations, partner agencies and researchers.
The forum is also where the Milan Pact Awards are presented. The City of Milan and the Cariplo Foundation launched them in 2016 to recognise city practices and to see how signatories are carrying out their commitments. The 2025 round collected 347 practices from 173 cities in 63 countries; Vantaa, in Finland, won the food waste category.
Who goes and how to take part
The forum is built around the signatory cities. The Pact page says only local governments, meaning cities and metropolitan areas, can sign, that no fees apply, and that interested cities should contact the MUFPP Secretariat at the City of Milan. We could not find registration rules for observers.
Why it matters for cities
Food policy is rarely a separate department in European city halls, and the Pact gives cities a shared framework and indicators to build one. Several futurehubs stories show what that looks like locally, such as Dortmund’s sustainable food journey and Bordeaux’s food policy council.
Going, or following from home
The next Global Forum has not been announced. Recordings of the 2025 sessions are available in a playlist linked from the edition page, which is the best way to see how the forum works.