Urban Planning, Ecological Transition, Urban Services and Housing

Today saw the start of a trial initiative to make the most of edible foodstuffs and promote the right to healthy food. Volunteers from various local organisations collected fruit from trees in the old quarter of Sant Andreu de Palomar to make bitter orange marmalade. The product will be analysed by the Barcelona Public Health Agency. People are reminded that it is not advisable to consume urban fruit unless it has been verified as fit to eat.

Volunteers spend the morning picking bitter oranges from trees in C/ Coroleu, C/ Abat Odó, C/ Castellbell and C/ Bascònia. Nearly 800 kg or fruit was collected in all, which will end up becoming over 3,000 jars of marmalade, mostly to be given to social organisations.

The picking began with a brief explanation in the street by the Fundació Espigoladors, on food waste and techniques for harvesting this product. Parks and Gardens provided all the necessary materials for volunteers to carry out the activity with maximum safety.

The bitter oranges collected were taken to the workshop of the Fundació Espigoladors, who will produce 100% natural marmalade from them. The workshop is an innovation lab for food utilisation, offering work and training opportunities for people at risk of social exclusion.

The end destination for much of the bitter orange marmalade will be decided by children at a local school, who will choose which social and solidarity entity will get the product. The idea of the district council here is to promote children’s awareness in the fight against food waste and get them involved in neighbourhood activities.

Regarding the consumption of the end product, the lab for the Barcelona Public Health Agency has conducted tests on the fruit and will be responsible for verifying its suitability. People should remember that oranges from the city’s fruit trees are not suitable for consumption without being tested for quality and food safety.

Barcelona has got over 3,300 orange trees, which account for around 1.5% of the city’s 202,000 trees. The district with the most orange trees is Sant Andreu, its 1,100 fruit trees accounting for 35% of the city’s total.

Conducted by the District of Sant Andreu, this initiative comes within the framework of Barcelona’s current status as the world sustainable food capital. Other City Council collaborators were Parks and Gardens, and the Commissioner’s Office for Social Economy, Local Development and Food Policy.