Global center for food innovation is coming to the Netherlands

The Netherlands will be the center for global food innovation with the Global Coordinating Secretariat (GCS) in Wageningen. Prime Minister Rutte announced this during a digital meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF). The GCS is part of the food system initiative of the WEF to drive innovations and new technologies in the food chain that contribute to global food security. From the Netherlands, the GCS directs the further development of global regional food innovation hubs, including the European hub in Food Valley Wageningen.

Worldwide, nearly 2 billion people lack access to adequate, nutritious and safe food and 690 million people suffer from chronic hunger or lack of proper nutrition. The expected growth of the world population and the consequences of the climate crisis only increase the urgency of this food insecurity. So we have to produce more and smarter food than ever before.

Minister Schouten of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality: “The Dutch agri-food, horticulture and breeding sectors are global players when it comes to knowledge and techniques for the sustainable production and processing of food. This knowledge and innovation is already going all over the world, for example Simon Groot’s company East-West Seed, which provides millions of small farmers with good seeds. With FoodValley as the European Food Hub in the WEF and the Global Coordinating Secretariat in the Netherlands, we can share that knowledge and expertise much more with the world. ”

Minister Van ‘t Wout of Economic Affairs and Climate: “The Dutch economy is one of the most innovative in the world. With the arrival of the Global Coordinating Secretariat, we can use our innovative strength even better to contribute to food security in the world. With a strong combination of companies and knowledge institutions in agri-food, horticulture, breeding, high-tech and ICT, we have all the factors in-house to play a leading role and to shape the necessary changes in the food system.”

Food Innovation Hubs

Changing the way we produce and consume food requires globally scalable innovations that match regional conditions. The regional Food Hubs play a crucial role in this by bringing farmers, companies, scientists and (other) parties from the food chain together to develop innovations and business and revenue models that contribute to a sustainable and future-proof food system. Hubs have been set up in Asia, Africa and Central and South America. FoodValley has been appointed as the European Food Hub at the global tables since November.

Global Coordinating Secretariat

The cabinet and development company Oost NL (commissioned by the province of Gelderland and the province of Overijssel) support the GCS financially and by forming a small core team. The GCS will help the regional hubs scale up, drive new regional hubs and build global partnerships for innovation. Together they ensure that knowledge and innovation for a healthy and sustainable food system are better spread around the world.