Next Food Collective workshop: breaking down barriers to a healthier, more sustainable diet

The necessity of transitioning to a healthier and more sustainable diet is widely recognized and no longer needs explanation. However, if we all acknowledge its importance, why is it not happening? This question was at the heart of the live workshop on Healthy Nutrition and Wellbeing that we hosted in Utrecht last Thursday. The event brought together over 30 representatives of Next Food Collective partners to explore the critical challenges of creating a healthier and more sustainable food system.

Why this workshop matters

Arienne de Jong, theme director Healthy Nutrition & Wellbeing: “While awareness of the need for change has grown, significant barriers, still hinder progress. These range from cultural food habits and economic constraints to policy gaps and industry fragmentation. At Next Food Collective, we believe that collaboration is essential to overcoming these barriers. This workshop aimed to serve as a crucial platform to align efforts, foster partnerships, and identify actionable solutions that drive meaningful change.”


Key Topics of Discussion

Participants explored:

  • The most pressing barriers blocking the transition to healthier, more sustainable diets and identified those we can tackle as Next Food Collective. However, we cannot do this alone—we need support from partners in retail, food service, and beyond.
  • The concept of the 1000 Households impact programme, which aims to help 1000 households transition to a healthier and more sustainable diet. The discussion covered the use of existing knowledge, outstanding scientific questions on health and sustainability, the identification of subgroups and their needs, and the potential outcomes of the programme. As a next step, we will explore how we can bring this programme to life and make it a reality
  • A project presented by Marjolijn Bragt from Wageningen Food & Biobased Research, focused on developing strategies to promote plant-forward diets.
  • Ways to address the fragmentation in the field of healthy nutrition and wellbeing.

The programme

The event started with a welcome coffee, followed by an introduction to the meeting's scope and key barriers. Participants engaged in breakout sessions to prioritize challenges and shared feedback before lunch. In the afternoon, a new project and a concept programme were introduced to support the transition leading into interactive breakout sessions and discussions. The day concluded with insights on the fragmentation in the HNW field, closing remarks, and networking drinks.

As we move forward, we will continue shaping these initiatives and partnerships—stay tuned for updates on the next steps and outcomes.