SYDNEY - Addressing the SDGs in cities through food business incubation: FoodLab Sydne

This case study outlines FoodLab Sydney, an innovative food business incubator that aims to address food insecurity in the City of Sydney and its connections to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Developed by the University of Sydney’s Sydney Environment Institute (SEI) and the University of New South Wales Canberra, the project is a first-of-its-kind for the city and is a collaborative effort aimed at tackling the complex causes of food insecurity involving federal, state and local governments. Approximately 17,000 residents in the City of Sydney are food insecure, according to the City of Sydney’s Community Wellbeing Survey, with the number projected to rise, and inequality grows in the City. The project will foster the development of food-based start-up businesses, providing education and training for people who are disadvantaged to develop sustainable social enterprises, as well as working to develop a network of businesses that increase the wider community’s access to healthy and affordable food.