Switzerland / About the city
Introducing Fribourg
The Creative City of Fribourg is located in a region that is internationally renowned for its agricultural production, particularly the production, marketing and export of its Gruyère cheese. The city also cultivates a thriving scene for fine dining and traditional fare alike, with more than 180 restaurants for 40,000 inhabitants. Chosen as Switzerland's City of Taste 2023, the Creative City organizes and supports nearly 200 events throughout the year, including Melting Popote, a multicultural pop-up restaurant with a mobile kitchen that welcomes residents for a week to prepare dishes from their country of origin, thereby promoting intercultural dialogue and the diversity of minority cultural expressions through gastronomy.
At the local level, gastronomy helps to strengthen community ties and preserve the local intangible heritage. St Nicholas' Day and the harvest festival, Bénichon, with the distribution of biscômes (gingerbread with honey), and the organization of traditional fondues for the community, are examples of interactive events celebrating the city's culinary heritage and open to all residents.
Thanks to its strong agri-food ecosystem and the development of its Bluefactory innovation district, built on the historic site of the Cardinal brewery, Fribourg is an incubator for innovation, not only in the agri-food sector, but also in social and cultural terms. For the city, which is home to 139 cultural facilities and 318 businesses working in the food sector, gastronomy is a vector of culture and meanwhile art and creativity are drivers of gastronomic discovery, social diversity and public health.
/ Climate & gastronomy
Challenges and actions
The City of Fribourg's climate challenges include:
- Urban resilience (managing urban heat islands and stormwater runoff)
- Human health (linked to heatwaves and invasive, exotic species)
- Natural resources (biodiversity, drinking water, regional food production)
City projects
- Charter for sustainable food on March 4, 2025, the City of Fribourg co-founded and signed the "Charter of Swiss Cities and Municipalities for Sustainable Food" alongside seven other Swiss cities.
- HoReCo working group in 2025, the city established an internal working group to raise awareness among hotel, restaurant and retail stakeholders about more sustainable food practices.
- Climate and Sustainability Laboratory 2025 — raising household awareness of responsible consumption (eating more vegetarian food, eating locally, recovering food waste); 2026 — soft mobility; 2027 — more sustainable food offers in restaurants.
- School catering since 2022, schoolchildren aged 4 to 15 learn about sustainable food. The service is certified "Cuisinons notre région", "Fait Maison" and "Fourchette verte Ama terra", with a strong focus on reducing food waste.
- Food Save Banquet first edition co-organised in 2025 with the University of Fribourg, the Food Bank and the Catholic Church. The second edition is planned for 2027.
- Food waste recovery a pilot project converting the city's food waste into energy.
- Local and seasonal gastronomy "Les menus de l'Atelier", launched in 2025, featuring a different restaurant from the city each time.
- Organic wine production conversion of the City of Fribourg Bourgeoisie's vineyard to organic farming.
Projects supported by the city
- "Samedis du partage" (Sharing Saturdays) organised by the Food Bank
- Food basket distribution for people in need, organised by Caritas
- Adult education on "eating well on a small budget", organised by the FRC (French-speaking Swiss Consumers' Federation)
- Awareness courses on responsible eating for compulsory schools, delivered by Papill'ON
- Seasonal cooking classes linked to the local market
