Autumn has arrived and with it, winds of change are blowing across the Netherlands.
New economic policies are being developed as a follow-up of the Topsector approach. At Next Food Collective, under the leadership of Gerda Verburg and Han Kolff, we are facilitating the process of uniting the sector to speak with one clear voice in The Hague. It is a dearly needed and challenging task, but also a rewarding one. It is essential for the transitions Next Food Collective stands for and offers an excellent opportunity to strengthen the organization of the Dutch innovation landscape. On our upcoming annual partner day on November 7th, Gerda will share her perspective on our sector, the desired changes ahead, and this process. For more information in the meantime, feel free to reach out to Gerda Verburg, Han Kolff, or myself.
On November 7th, we look forward to welcoming you to our annual partner day at dsm-firmenich in Delft, themed Turning Vision into Impact. We are proud to host keynote speaker Prof. Dr Hannah van Zanten, an internationally recognized scientist, who will offer her insights on global food systems developments. In the afternoon, we will highlight leading transition initiatives in agriculture, food processing and health & consumer, including several from outside Next Food Collective. A big thank you to Marco van den Berg, Anne Arink and colleagues for hosting us, and for the opportunity to visit the mind-blowing labs of dsm-firmenich. If it’s not already in your agenda, please block Friday, November 7th and join us in Delft.
Meanwhile, much has been happening, let me share a few highlights from our programs.
In ReGeNL, Wouter-Jan Schouten is pleased to share that farmer participation is exceeding expectations, with 140 farmers already connected to agricultural advisors. This is an important first step towards the 1000 farmers we aim to support. The program also continues to attract new partners, e.g. Vitens (water company) and a major European dairy cooperative is about to join soon.
Within the Future Proof Foods Program, Michiel Meeuse used his first round of interviews with partners to identify how sustainable developments can be accelerated. One of the key themes that emerged is the slow rate of adoption of new sustainable ingredients. Many of these ingredients offer great potential, but only if economies of scale start kicking in. To help overcome this bottleneck Michiel is setting up a Sustainable Ingredient blending project, and I strongly encourage you to get involved! To get to know Michiel personally, you will find an interview with him in this newsletter.
In the Health Impact program and related projects, there are also important developments. The MOCIA trial, studying lifestyle interventions and cognitive function, has now reached its “last patient last visit” milestone, a major achievement for a trial with more than 1200 participants. First results are expected later this year. This is truly a program where interventions are translated directly into impact in daily life. At the same time, the team led by Arienne de Jong has taken significant steps forward with the Households Impact Programme. Designed to be household-driven and, through smart design, both affordable and scalable, it aims to create lasting improvements in food choices. For many Next Food Collective partners, helping consumers make healthy and sustainable choices is core to their mission. In my, admittedly coloured, view this programme offers an excellent platform to demonstrate our collective responsibility and to move beyond countless small, non-scalable initiatives towards an impactful, joint approach.
Wishing you an inspiring read!
Warm regards,
Marian