How we work

Reshaping collaboration, innovation and governance. Next Food Collective connects the entire food industry, from farming to food production, from equipment to business services and from top universities to field labs and educational institutions. Together we translate our collective vision into a clear pathway for change. Reshaping collaboration, valorisation, innovation and governance in alignment with our core values: collaboration, learning by doing, and impact driven.

To achieve meaningful and lasting impact, we follow five core strategies that guide our way of working:

Vision-driven program development

We develop clear thematic visions, each with ambitious yet achievable impact goals. These visions are interconnected and grounded in a systems approach. At their core lie a strong theory of change, clearly defined barriers to overcome, and viable business cases that support sustainable transformation. 

Driving large-scale, impact-oriented programs

Based on our visions, we design and implement targeted impact-oriented programs that turn strategy into action. We guide and support programs and projects—often above €5 million—that are built around measurable outcomes and clear KPIs. Our role includes project design, securing public and private funding, and hands-on program management. 

We address shared system barriers, ensure consistent progress, and build active communities around each theme. Our portfolio may include smaller projects, but always adds up to a significant impact. 

Building strong public-private partnerships

We bring together parties across the value chain to form consortia that align with both our thematic visions and individual company strategies. Together, we define what needs to happen, how to do it, and who should be involved—laying the foundation for effective, scalable collaboration. 

Staying connected

We communicate clearly and consistently with our partners and stakeholders, positioning Next Food Collective as a thought leader in food system innovation. Our perspectives are seen as forward-thinking and influential—across political, commercial, and academic domains. 

A driven and capable team

Our work is powered by a flexible and committed team that combines purpose, curiosity, and joy in collaboration. We value continuous learning, strong connections, and a shared drive to make a difference. Our people speak the language of our network and understand the complexity of the food system. 

Our themes

As a collective our themes are established to tackle important transitions, a shift to regenerative agriculture, increasing the share of sustainable proteins in our diet, reducing waste, energy and water use in food processing and improving nutrition and health by changing the food environment and consumer behaviour.

For each of our themes we define specific impact goals. For example, 1000 farmers will make the transition to a profitable and regenerative farm before 2030, or 30% of the food processing facilities in the Netherlands will have halved its energy consumption in 2030. From these clear goals, strong transition programs are developed.

Bringing together the best minds, sharing knowledge between partners, borrowing from other disciplines where needed, building high performance well-resourced teams, including activities beyond research & development where needed, ensuring excellence in program management and governance.