As part of the BIOPRO Regions – Regions for Bio and Proximal Products project, co-financed by the Interreg Europe programme, the second study visit was successfully held in the Dalarna region, Sweden. The event gathered representatives of all project partners and stakeholders.

The Regional Development Agency Bačka participated with its project team, while the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops – Institute of National Importance for the Republic of Serbia took part as a stakeholder representative from Serbia.

The visit consisted of three main parts:

• Project Steering Committee meeting

Partners reviewed the progress and results achieved so far and agreed on the next steps to ensure the successful continuation of project activities and the achievement of planned results.

• Study visit to the Dalarna region

Participants had the opportunity to discover good practices in sustainable food production and consumption, which represent the focus of the BIOPRO project. The programme included visits to:

• Stiernhööksgymnasiet, an agricultural school where local food production is integrated into the educational process.
• The Eco-September campaign, implemented by Organic Sweden, aimed at promoting organic and locally produced food.
• Skedvi Bröd, a company producing traditional crispbread using old recipes and techniques, recognized for its quality and geographical indication label.
• Seminar on food innovation and by-product valorisation

The first part of the seminar, titled “Food Innovation”, was led by representatives of Dalarna Science Park and focused on exploring new ways to use secondary production streams in the food sector.

The second part, “By-product Valorisation”, took place at MurboAnna Dairy, where participants learned how by-products such as whey can be transformed into new, marketable products like refreshing drinks and artisanal ice creams.

The study visit in Dalarna provided valuable insights and practical examples of sustainable food system development. The knowledge and experiences gained will serve as inspiration for project partners to adapt and apply these innovative practices within their own regions.