Fragmented efforts won't drive lasting change. Next Food Collective accelerates the transition to a healthy, sustainable food system by fostering purpose-driven collaborations and breaking down shared barriers. Together, the collective can amplify the timely impact of public-private investments and scale meaningful solutions. This was the common thread of the partner event, held on November 7 at Danone’s Research & Innovation Center in Utrecht. The event centered on exploring pathways toward a healthier, more sustainable food system, fostering dialogue, great networking and developing actionable plans for 2025 and beyond.
Marian Geluk opened the event by emphasizing that the current food system is the product of the collective efforts of Next Food Collective's partners, all committed to driving sustainability and health in the agri-food sector through collaboration and purpose-driven action. She stressed the importance of addressing fragmentation within the innovation system and emphasized the critical role of scaling impactful projects. Coordinated efforts will maximize the impact of public-private investments. Success will rely on adaptability, learning from challenges, and leveraging shared ambitions to achieve meaningful progress.
Kees Vendrik, Chair of the National Climate Platform, delivered a compelling keynote on sector-wide transitions, focusing on the food industry's pivotal role in driving change. Despite the agreements made in 2019 (Klimaatakkoord), reduction of CO2 emissions in all sectors is not on track, including the agri-food sector. He challenged partners to explore innovative approaches for advancing sustainability in the agri-food sector and stressed the importance of collaboration to achieve significant results. As a model, Vendrik referenced the SER Energy Agreement 2013, where governments, businesses, unions, and environmental organizations united to accelerate the energy transition.
A panel discussion delved into the role of the food chain in transitioning to regenerative agriculture, providing valuable insights into how various stakeholders can contribute to this shift. Wouter-Jan Schouten, Theme Director for Sustainable Agriculture introduced the session with a short overview of ReGeNL’s plans. Panelists André Hoogendijk (BO Akkerbouw and Chair of the Steering Committee ReGeNL), Alex Datema (Rabobank), Sanne Griffioen (FrieslandCampina), and Klaas Jan van Calker (Unilever) discussed the scalability of regenerative agriculture, sharing their organizations' contributions and identifying the support needed from other stakeholders. Klaas Jan emphasized the critical importance and urgency of the transition: the shift to regenerative agriculture at scale is not a "nice to have"; it needs to come to scale to address climate shocks and other stresses on the agricultural and climate systems.
Bert Jan Grootes, Theme Director for Sustainable Processing, highlighted key transitions in food processing required to make the industry future-proof. These challenges include the redesign of ingredients, milder processing methods, upcycling of side streams at scale and accelerating the journey toward net-zero carbon emissions.
His insights underscored opportunities to innovate for reducing the environmental footprint of ingredients while maintaining functionality. He emphasized collaborative efforts to address raw material challenges from climate change, political shifts, and evolving agriculture, ensuring sustainable, high-quality products. Duynie and Danone emphasized the importance of collaboration in valorizing side streams, with Danone initiating a side stream challenge and encouraging partners to share ideas for optimizing these specific Danone side streams.
As Theme Director for Healthy Nutrition and Wellbeing, Arienne de Jong facilitated a discussion with the audience on the relationship between ultra-processed foods and health, drawing on challenges provided by Delphine Chatelin of Groupe Bel and Dirk Jacobs from FoodDrinkEurope.
The debate centered on whether more scientific research is needed to better understand this widely debated connection or if industry should prioritize taking action, concluding that both is needed. It was also emphasized that consumers don’t need education but rather greater transparency from the food industry regarding product development processes. Within Next Food Collective, this controversial topic remains a key focus area.
A heartfelt thank you to all participants and contributors, with special gratitude to the team at Danone’s Research & Innovation Center for their generous hosting and the fantastic lunch from The Farm Kitchen, —an event organizer committed to a world where our food not only avoids harming the earth but actively enriches it. We look forward to welcoming everyone back next year as we continue working together to accelerate the transition of the food industry.