Faced with today’s major environmental challenges, the food system remains one of the most critical sectors due to its deep impact on the environment and people’s lives. The European SWITCH project aims to promote healthy and sustainable diets across Europe by overcoming barriers related to accessibility and knowledge sharing. The project’s actions, implemented in six European SWITCH Food Hubs, are based on three pillars: increasing KNOWLEDGE, enabling ACTIONABILITY, and promoting FACILITATION.

In Rome, the local Food Hub coordinated by Agro Camera translated these goals into concrete actions. One of the three key interventions focused on strengthening the connection between citizens (consumers) and small local producers through a PILOT study based on the SPESABUS initiative. SPESABUS connects sustainable small-scale food producers with consumers, who value direct contact as a key benefit. Shortening the supply chain and supporting agrobiodiversity and sustainability-focused producers are considered essential to the food system transition by SWITCH.

Recognizing that knowledge and education are fundamental for conscious choices and ecological transition, SPESABUS marketing activities were combined with informative and educational actions to: a) highlight the sustainability efforts of producers; b) educate consumers through concise messages about sustainable food practices. An agroecology questionnaire was developed to assess producers’ sustainability levels, complemented by a video story from each producer. Key elements were extracted and turned into short educational messages. In addition, positive nutritional messages were created for the products offered, along with sustainable recipes featuring those same products. These materials were shared through SPESABUS social media channels. The effectiveness of the initiative was measured through consumer appreciation, analyzed via feedback and social media interactions, providing valuable insights into the impact of the awareness-raising and promotional activities.