Future Food Utrecht’s Annual Symposium

Het verslag van deze dag lees je hier. Het is vanuit een ander perspectief geschreven, dan de engelse versie. Lees ze allebei voor een complete impressie van deze dag.

You can read the report of this day here. It is written from a different perspective than the Dutch version. Read them both for a complete overview of the day

What do we see when we think about future food systems? Do the food systems of the future require revolutionary change, or are we rather talking about an evolutionary steps towards new ways of producing and consuming food? What should be the role of science and scientists in this transformation? Should scientists be activists who advocate change? Should they focus on producing the best objective, yet innovative knowledge? How should they relate to and collaborate with external stakeholders, like industry and governmental institutions? Engage in a thought provoking Future Food discussion with Giuseppe Feola (Copernicus Institute) and Miel Hostens (Veterinary Medicine), who will dive into the revolutionary and evolutionary perspectives. They will be critically questioned by several surprise guests...

Session 1 (in English)

Future Food Systems from the Animal’s Perspective

Speakers: Rebecca Nordquist (UU), Franck Meijboom (UU), Cleo Verkuijl (Stockholm Environment Institute) & Louise Whatford (Royal Veterinary College)

Animal welfare has gained prominence on the food systems agenda. With much debated issues like the protein transition, meat/dairy consumption and intensive animal farming and its sustainability and health impacts, the role of ‘the animal’ has become an important (political) question. How can we approach this question from the perspective of the animal? What would the animal want? What should we be doing and on which level? What kinds of policies, approaches and interventions are needed locally, nationally and internationally? Should we be tweaking the current (industrial) system or do we require revolutionary change towards a completely different future for animal husbandry or the consumption of animal products?

Rebecca Nordquist’s research aims to improve farm animal welfare, especially during transitions to sustainable food systems. She leads an interdisciplinary group of academics, collaboratively investigating circular agriculture and resilient food systems. As a member of the Executive Board of Future Food Utrecht, she fosters and encourages interdisciplinary research that will lead to more sustainable food systems.

Animals are affected by our current food systems, and will be affected by transitions in food systems, so we must take the animal’s perspective into account.

Franck Meijboom’s is Professor of Sustainable Animal Stewardship. His work focuses on animals in different contexts, such as pests, nature and agriculture. He studied theology and ethics at the Universities of Utrecht (NL) and Aberdeen (UK). His chair is affiliated to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Utrecht University and the Ethics Institute of Utrecht University (Faculty of Humanities). Additionally, he is Head of the Centre for Sustainable Animal Stewardship (www.CenSAS.org) and Head of Department of the department Population Health Sciences.

Animals are still too often under-represented in the debate on innovation for sustainable food production. In doing so, we are selling animals and the debate short.

Cleo Verkuijl is a scientist at the Stockholm Environment Institute's US Centre and a 2023-24 Visiting Research Fellow at Harvard Law School, where her research focuses on climate change governance, just food systems transitions, and the interlinkages between sustainable development and animal welfare. She has been a coordinating lead author of two UN Environment Programme (UNEP) reports on the misalignment between countries’ fossil fuel production plans and international climate goals, and is a coordinating lead author of a new UNEP report on the sustainable development implications of alternative proteins. Cleo has previously worked as policy officer for Climate Action Network International, and as adjunct professor in environmental policy at Johns Hopkins University in Bologna.

A just transition in animal agriculture is necessary for more effective and equitable One Health outcomes – and animals need to be considered as a relevant stakeholder in this process

Louise Whatford is interested in the interconnections and nexus between non-human animals, people and the environment. She specialises in using systems thinking and interdisciplinary approaches to tackle and research the complex questions around sustainable and welfare-conscious livestock and fish food systems. Currently her research explores inter- and transdisciplinary methods to understand more about sustainability, particularly, in the beef and sheep food and marketing systems in Great Britain. With a particular interest in exploring how to better integrate non-human animal welfare, ethical considerations, and the One Welfare concept into One Health and the wider, more holistic and wicked problems we face today.

Animal welfare often appears overlooked or missing from more inlcusive or One Health type metrics or approaches. The impact of welfare is well docmented and with the interconnectivity between people, non-human animals and the planet it is far too important to not be included

Session 2 (in English)

Fair Food Transitions

Speakers: Michèlle Bal (UU), Marijn Stok (UU). Laura van der Velde (LUMC), Judith van de Wetering (UU)

This workshop will provide an introduction into the concept of doughnut economics, and apply this perspective to the topic of fair food transitions. Specifically, we will zoom in on the topics of food insecurity in the Netherlands and sustainable food-related lifestyles in youth. The session will conclude with an interactive discussion.

Michèlle Bal is working as an Assistant Professor in ISS - Public Health at Utrecht University. Her research focusses on perceptions of justice and injustice. She addresses questions, such as: What do people consider just and why? And how do people deal with a confrontation with injustice?

Fairness is essential for the success of the sustainable food transition; Doughnut economics can provide the planetary and social boundaries between which such a just transition can take place.

Marijn Stok was appointed assistant professor at the department of Interdisciplinary Social Science at Utrecht University in 2016. She is a behavior scientist, focusing on understanding human behavior and designing and understanding social policy for behavior change. Her research focuses on sustainability behavior, health behavior, and public health. In her work, Marijn uses insights from social psychology, health psychology, health science, consumer science and communication science. 

A doughnut economics perspective provides a new way to view sustainability transitions. This perspective can uncover new ways to engage all citizens in the sustainable food transition.

Laura van der Velde is a postdoctoral researcher at LUMC/ Health Campus The Hague. She is involved in various research projects and the development and coordination of courses focused on socioeconomic inequalities, prevention, nutrition and public health. Her PhD research was focused on food insecurity in the Netherlands. Topics within her PhD project included exploring the impact of experiencing food insecurity on dietary quality and health, and the interplay between food insecurity, fast-food outlet exposure and dietary quality.

Food insecurity – lacking a consistent physical, social, or economic access to adequate food because of limited resources– is a pressing public health concern, even in a high-income country such as the Netherlands. Striving to achieve food security for all is essential for a fair and just food system.

Judith van de Wetering is a PhD candidate in developmental psychology at Utrecht University. She is interested in how young people are affected by and can contribute to societal issues, including climate change. She investigates how environmentalism is connected to how teenagers view themselves and to what they care for in their daily lives. In a series of studies, she tests how we can communicate about climate change in such a way that teenagers become motivated to make sustainable food choices.

Young people can be frontrunners in sustainable food transitions. How can we motivate them to transform their concern about climate change into action?

Session 3 (in Dutch)

Duurzaam dieet voor een optimale gezondheid

Sprekers: Prescilla Jeurink (UU), Zsuzsan Proos (Transitiecoalitie Voedsel), Jan Buining (Tasty Basics/Healthy Food Coalition) & Drees Peter van den Bosch (Healthy Food Coalition)

Deze workshop is een coproductie van Future Food Utrecht en Healthy Food Coalition, gelieerd aan Transitiecoalitie Voedsel. Beide partijen zetten zich in om de productie en consumptie van duurzame, gezonde en eerlijke voeding te stimuleren. Een belangrijke vraag blijft: kunnen we er voor zorgen dat een gezond, duurzaam voedselaanbod de betaalbare standaard wordt? Welke interventies zijn er nodig zijn om dit te bereiken? Het is duidelijk dat niet slechts één partij aan zet is, maar dat overheid, producenten, retailers, onderzoekers en andere betrokken organisaties nauw moeten samenwerken. Dat is echter geen eenvoudige opgave, want er zijn veel verschillende – dikwijls tegenstrijdige – belangen en perspectieven. Tijdens deze workshop kruipen deelnemers in de huid van specifieke stakeholders. Vanuit deze aangemeten rollen worden diverse casussen bestudeerd en besproken. We eindigen met een gezamenlijk debat. Lukt het om de verschillende belangen bij elkaar te krijgen?

Prescilla Jeurink is docent farmacologie en ambassadeur ‘Feed, Food & Health’ bij Future Food Utrecht. Ze heeft een groot hart voor nieuwe vormen van wetenschappelijk onderwijs, zoals challenge-based learning en public engagement. Vanuit haar rol binnen Future Food trekt ze een breed consortium van onderzoekers en andere stakeholders die samen werken aan onderzoek en impact-gedreven activiteiten op het gebied van de eiwittransitie en eerlijke, duurzame en vooral gezonde voeding.

Ik hoop dat de deelnemers aan deze workshop door de bril van een andere keten-partijen meer inzicht krijgen in hoe zij hun eigen werk toegankelijker kunnen maken voor de andere partijen

Zsuzsan Proos is als voedingsdeskundige een echte spin in het web binnen de Nederlandse voedseltransitie. Ze is niet alleen betrokken bij Transitiecoalitie Voedsel, maar functioneert ook als programma manager bij ToekomstProef en als freelance adviseur. 

Tijdens deze workshop wil ik graag onderzoeken hoe de transmissietheorie ons kan helpen om versnelling te krijgen in de transitie naar een gezonder voedselaanbod. Welke samenwerking en interventies zouden producenten, overheid en wetenschap hiervoor moeten oppakken

Jan Buining is oprichter en directeur van TastyBasics. Hij is een groot voorvechter van gezonde, onbewerkte voeding. TastyBasics brengt producten op de markt om gezond en voedzaam eten gemakkelijk te maken voor de consument. Dit doen zij door in hun producten gebruik te maken van onbewerkte grondstoffen. Via Healthy Food Coalition probeert hij zijn missie verder kracht bij te zetten.

Onbewerkt gevarieerd eten is de oplossing om maximaal voor te sorteren op een maximaal aantal gezonde jaren. De grootste gemeenschappelijke factor achter de kenmerken (bijvoorbeeld lege calorien, overmaat aan koolhydraten en te veel verzadigde vetten…) van ons ongezond voedselaanbod is het ‘Ultra Processen’ (van grondstoffen). De bewustwording daarvan verloopt traag bij zowel consumenten als producenten en distributeurs. Hierdoor ontstaat er nauwelijks vraag en ook te weinig aanbod. Hoe brengen we gezond aanbod en dus gezonde keuze op gang?

Drees Peter van den Bosch is de voormalig directeur van cateraar Hutten en onderdeel van Healthy Food Coalition. Van den Bosch wil een bijdrage leveren aan het vormgeven van het voedselsysteem van de toekomst, bijvoorbeeld door de echte prijs van voedsel leidend te maken.  

Wednesday 13 December 2023
Time: 13:00 – 18:00 
Location: ANTROPIA Cultuur-Congrescentrum 
Landgoed de Reehorst - Driebergen