An aerial view of Xianju county in Taizhou. [Photo provided to Tide News]

The 2026 Roundtable on Gastronomy Creativity and Urban Sustainable Development will be held on June 14 in Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province, bringing together officials from foreign consulates in Shanghai and representatives from UNESCO-designated Cities of Gastronomy.

The event will focus on culinary heritage, industrial innovation, ecological protection, and social inclusion, with participants from countries such as Malaysia, Argentina, and Chile, along with representatives from Chinese gastronomy cities, including Chengdu, Yangzhou, and Quanzhou, expected to share experiences on sustainable food development.

The roundtable will include two major dialogue sessions on how food culture drives sustainable development and how cross-sector innovation connects food with technology, arts, and tourism. A joint initiative on creative cities and sustainable gastronomy will also be released, outlining cooperation on green development, the preservation of intangible cultural heritage, and talent cultivation.

Taizhou, a coastal city known for its seafood-rich cuisine, has developed a full-chain approach to sustainable food systems, from ecological protection to industrial development. Key initiatives include marine plastic recycling projects, coastal ecological improvement through artificial mangroves, and integrated farming systems combining traditional crops and livestock.

In the city's agricultural sector, cooperatives have upgraded traditional workshops into standardized industrial operations, increasing rural incomes. The city has also exported aquaculture techniques, including crab farming systems, to overseas markets such as Mozambique.

Digital technologies are increasingly used in food safety and production management, including AI-based kitchen monitoring systems and smart aquaculture controls. Education programs across local institutions are also training more than 3,000 students in catering-related fields.