Healthy nutrition starts with insight – and with collaboration
For Daisy Jonkers, improving people’s lives through nutrition isn’t just a scientific pursuit –
it’s also a personal mission. As scientific director of NUTRIM, the Institute of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism at Maastricht University, she leads a team of researchers united by one goal: helping people stay healthy and vital throughout their lives. From metabolic health and gut health to healthy ageing, everything is aimed at keeping people in control of their own health.
Under her leadership, NUTRIM has become a key player in Next Food Collective, bringing broad expertise on how nutrition, metabolism, and lifestyle influence chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, chronic intestinal and liver disease, cancer, and age-related illnesses. With about 300 PhD candidates and a broad, multidisciplinary team, the institute focuses on human-centred research that bridges the gap between fundamental science and clinical application.
What inspires Maastricht University to be part of NFC, and what does this collaboration mean for your organisation?
For Jonkers, the answer is clear: “What draws us to Next Food Collective is its mission to overcome fragmentation in the food system. That shared ambition to work together toward healthy and sustainable food for all, is what makes this collaboration so valuable. Only by joining forces knowledge institutions, businesses, universities of applied sciences, and governments can we truly make a difference.”
“At Maastricht University, we bring a broad spectrum of expertise to the table, not just from NUTRIM, but also from other research institutes within our Faculty of Health Medicine and Life sciences as well as our Venlo campus, where food innovation and healthy nutrition innovation is a core focus. From biomedical science to behavioural research and public health, an integrated perspective is essential if we want to build a truly resilient and inclusive food system.”
What do you see as the main opportunities and challenges in the food industry?
“The biggest challenge in today’s food system? Changing behaviour,” Jonkers says. “Everyone knows healthy eating is important, but putting it into practice is though, especially for people with fewer resources. Healthy food must not only be nutritious, but also accessible, affordable, appealing, and sustainable. That requires action across the entire chain: from food producers and retailers to educators, policymakers, and researchers.”
“Retailers, in particular, have a key role to play. Price incentives like reduced VAT on fruits and vegetables could really help. The food environment needs to support people in making better choices and push them in the direction of healthy products.”
She adds that tackling these behavioural challenges means going beyond education alone. “We have to change the system around people, their food environments, social contexts, and economic realities. That’s where collective efforts like NFC come into play.”
Can you share a success story of Maastricht University that aligns with NFC’s mission?
“A concrete example of real-world impact is the Healthy Primary School of the Future programme. In participating schools, children are served healthy lunches, engage in active play, and learn to appreciate nutritious food – and they take these lessons home. We see real behavioural change, both in children and their families. What they learn early, they carry with them for life.”
“Maastricht University also runs lifestyle programmes for children with overweight and specific age groups, such as toddlers, and is pioneering precision nutrition approaches based on metabolic phenotypes, genetics and gut microbiota. Not everyone responds to food in the same way. For instance, people with different metabolic profiles benefit from different dietary interventions. Personalised strategies can be far more effective and thereby also more motivating than one-size-fits-all advice.”
Are there any innovative ideas or collaboration opportunities you would like to explore with other members of the collective this year?
Jonkers believes that listening closely to one another is key. “If we’re truly serious about changing the food system, we need to break down silos and bring our different perspectives together. That starts with open conversations. Maastricht University is eager to engage in open dialogue. We want to better understand where the knowledge gaps are, also those faced by our industry partners in the pre-competitive space. That’s where academic research can add real value and spark new, practical solutions.”
NFC recently launched the 1000 Households initiative. In your view, what kind of impact can we achieve together?
“Maastricht University strongly supports the “1000 Households” initiative. It’s a fantastic opportunity to build practical knowledge and learn from real-world diversity. We can develop scalable models that work in practice and bring those insights to policymakers.”
“You don’t change behaviour with knowledge alone, you also need to address people’s environment, finances, and personal context. That’s exactly why an initiative like this is so powerful: we can tackle all those layers together. This new initiative is a great opportunity to face these challenges collaboratively.”
Where do you see the greatest opportunities for NFC to make impact over the next 12 months?
“In the coming year, I see three major opportunities for the Next Food Collective,” says Jonkers. “First, we have the chance to present a united voice to national and EU policymakers, backed by data and a shared ambition. As a large collective with many engaged partners, we’re much stronger when we all communicate the same message. That way, we can bring the evidence, engage the minister, and even align everyone at the EU level to really make a difference.”
“Second, we need to address open knowledge questions, such as around plant-based diets,, processed foods, fibers and healthy ageing. And third, we must deepen our understanding of individual differences from metabolism to the microbiome so that dietary advice can truly meet people’s needs.”
She continues: “With NFC we’ve set the bar really high. And that means we need to step out of our comfort zones. Everyone – researchers, businesses, and public organisations – must commit to doing this together. That has to be the priority. If we can’t take that step now, we’ll never get it done.”
A call for medium-scale collaborative initiatives
Looking ahead, Jonkers hopes NFC can also create space for more targeted, medium-scale initiatives that address open questions in the food system. “It would be great if Next Food Collective could facilitate some larger initiatives in parallel focused on specific knowledge gaps that we can approach with a joint, applied research mindset.”
An example? “The transition to plant-based diets is a perfect candidate. There’s a need for real insight into how people experience these changes, what is the health impact for vulnerable groups, and how we can guide them in a way that’s inclusive and effective.”
In her view, this is where the true potential of Next Food Collective lies: not only in connecting partners across the food chain, but also in mobilising them around concrete, challenges. “With the right focus and commitment, NFC can be the engine that turns knowledge into action bringing together science, practice, and policy to create a healthier and more sustainable future for everyone.”