"Next Food Collective aims to demonstrate leadership in the transition towards regenerative agriculture in the Netherlands and beyond," said former Minister of Agriculture Gerda Verburg during the launch event of the new organization, Next Food Collective, on May 23.
"The Netherlands is number one in knowledge creation in food and agriculture, and we must also become number one in creating change," says director Marian Geluk. Next Food Collective redefines public-private partnerships with the goal of accelerating the path to sustainable and healthy food reaching our plates.
The current pace of this transition is not fast enough. Therefore, it is time to act. By connecting the questions from companies, large and small, with innovative ideas from knowledge institutions, Next Food Collective provides a fresh impetus to the food transition. The aim is to switch to a sustainable food chain and healthy eating as quickly as possible.
The starting point of Next Food Collective's projects is to break down barriers that hinder companies from transitioning to a more sustainable and healthier food system. By linking these barriers to insights from cutting-edge research, Next Food Collective accelerates the pace and impact of innovation, with measurable results.
Over twenty companies and knowledge institutions have signed a partnership agreement with the new organization. Agro-food companies that endorse the mission of Next Food Collective are welcome to join by contacting info@nextfoodcollective.nl.
Background information:
About Next Food Collective: Next Food Collective is a collaboration between leading agro-food industries and knowledge and education organizations in the Netherlands. Its objective is to promote sustainability, innovation, and impact in the agro-food sector by developing joint programs and projects. The themes that Next Food Collective focuses on include sustainable production, regenerative agriculture, protein transition, and healthy nutrition. Next Food Collective emerged from a merger of TiFN, the Protein Competence Center (PCC), the Carbohydrate Competence Center (CCC), and the Sustainable Food Initiative (SFI).
Next Food Collective, together with its partners, has designed two transition programs that are currently under review by the government. These proposals are the growth fund proposals EPPIC (protein transition) and Re-Ge-NL (regenerative agriculture).
