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partner event 2025

Partner Event 2025


The Future on Our Plate: On Track or Off Course?

The future is literally on our plate. But are we truly on track towards a resilient, healthy and fair food system?

With 2030 drawing near, now is the moment to pause and take a clear-eyed look at where we stand. Have we made enough progress, or do we need to accelerate? Is speeding up really the way forward, or is doing things differently the key?

What will be your role? What does your organisation need to stay on course or perhaps to find a better one? After all, being ‘off course’ can also mean taking an alternative route, discovering that the path looks different from what we expected, or even redefining the destination itself.

On 11 December, during the Foodvalley Partner Event 2025, we’ll take a critical and collaborative look at those questions.

Be inspired by pioneers, changemakers, and bold thinkers. Collaborate on solutions that can genuinely make a meaningful impact. Because 2030 will not wait. And 2050 is rapidly approaching.

Do not miss the opportunity to join the conversation that is shaping the future of food. Because faster is not always the answer. Sometimes, the answer lies in being more inclusive, more diverse, or simply more intentional.

Registration only onsite

Programme 11 December 2025

10:30 – 11:00 Walk-in
11:00 – 11:15Warm-up by comedian Emma Holmes, founder Wageningen Comedy Club
11:15 – 11:40Your first keynote speaker: Sofie te Wierik, EAT-Lancet Commission 2.0 & PBL
11:40 – 12:05Your second keynote speaker: Jeroen Candel, Wageningen University & Research
12:05 – 12:30Interview with Marjolein Verkerk, Annelies van Hierden and Marjolein Brasz
12:30 – 13:45Lunch and networking time: enjoy delicious and surprising dishes from our partners, showcasing food innovations
13:45 – 15:15Breakout: The Protein Community Meeting. Check the programme below!
13:45 – 15:15Breakout: The Healthier Food Community Meeting. Check the programme below!
13:45 – 15:15Breakout: The Healthier Food Community Meeting. Check the programme below!
13:45 – 15:15Breakout: The Regenerative Agriculture Community Meeting. Check the programme below!
15:15 – 15:45Break
15:45 – 16:30Plenary closing & surprises
16:30 – 18:00Networking drinks

Speakers

Sofie te Wierik

your keynote speaker, EAT-Lancet Commission 2.0 & Scientific Researcher at PBL

  • How can we ensure nutritious diets for all within planetary boundaries? As environmental and health challenges intensify, this question is more urgent than ever. Sofie presents the EAT-Lancet 2.0 Commission’s latest scientific evidence on healthy, just and sustainable food systems. This explores the Planetary Health Diet guidelines, the Commission’s framework for a safe and just food system, and key actions for a global food system transformation.

Dr. Jeroen Candel

your keynote speaker, Associate Professor at Wageningen University & Research

  • Innovation has become the guiding mantra of Europe’s food policy, but are we innovating toward the right future? In this keynote, Jeroen unpacks the politics behind the innovation buzz and reveals how well-meaning policies often reinforce the very systems they claim to transform. He makes a compelling case for reorienting innovation toward public purpose — tackling climate, health, and equity challenges with creativity, courage, and direction

Marjolein Verkerk

Head of Corporate Communications & CSR at Jumbo Supermarkets

  • Following the morning keynotes, in this conversation we take a closer look at what it means to stay on course towards a healthy, sustainable and fair food system. The destination is clear, but the path is shifting. Are we still moving in the right direction, or is it time to adjust? Together with Marjolein Verkerk, Annelies van Hierden and Marjolein Brasz, we reflect on the roles we must take, and we’ll explore how collective action can drive real progress.

Annelies van Hierden

Impact Manager at ReconnAction

  • Following the morning keynotes, in this conversation we take a closer look at what it means to stay on course towards a healthy, sustainable and fair food system. The destination is clear, but the path is shifting. Are we still moving in the right direction, or is it time to adjust? Together with Marjolein Verkerk, Annelies van Hierden and Marjolein Brasz, we reflect on the roles we must take, and we’ll explore how collective action can drive real progress.

Marjolein Brasz

CEO at Foodvalley

  • Following the morning keynotes, in this conversation we take a closer look at what it means to stay on course towards a healthy, sustainable and fair food system. The destination is clear, but the path is shifting. Are we still moving in the right direction, or is it time to adjust? Together with Marjolein Verkerk, Annelies van Hierden and Marjolein Brasz, we reflect on the roles we must take, and we’ll explore how collective action can drive real progress.

Jeroen Willemsen

Lead Protein Transition at Foodvalley & your host of the day

  • Jeroen is on a mission: restoring the balance in our food system in one generation. He is an expert with in-depth practical knowledge on sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship. He developed a unique talent to foresee and capitalise transition opportunities. Jeroen initiated national and international programmes on sustainable food. As an energetic presenter and moderator on food transition, he is welcomed at numerous international events.

Emma Holmes

Entertainer, founder of Wageningen Comedy Club

  • Emma has spent the last decade of her life sharing her love of the performing arts as a Master of Ceremonies, event organiser, and entertainer. She has organised over 500 shows in the world of improv, stand-up and storytelling, and hosted and performed at many more on top of that. She works throughout the country as a trainer and as an entertainer, primarily as an MC and storyteller.

    At the Foodvalley Partner Event, Emma will start the day with a twist 🙂
Registration only onsite

Community Meetings: breakout sessions

The Protein Community

Participate in a professional and interactive podcast recording about the state of the protein transition and the next steps. You’ll get the chance to learn and to share your knowledge and experience. We zoom in on blended products and Healthier Plant Forward with business cases & food benefits. Tim Dale, our guest speaker from the USA, will kick off with his insights. An external agency will guide us through the podcast process for a great outcome.

More info

The Healthier Food Community

After a brief review of this year’s results and successes, we will dive into the plans for 2026 together. Which topics spark your interest, and why? This is your opportunity to share your knowledge, express your priorities and help shape the course of our joint agenda. We’ll wrap up with a playful networking activity designed to help you connect effortlessly with the people who can strengthen your ideas and potentially become your next collaboration partner.

The RegenAg Community

Step into the room where the regenerative value chain, from farm to fork, comes together to explore their role in the chain, understand the perspectives of others, and co-create ideas that move the ecosystem forward. Frontrunners bring their insights, challenges and ambitions, creating a powerful mix of perspectives across all chain actors. Participants gain a fresh understanding of the full system, build meaningful connections and co-create concrete solutions through the dynamic ‘Dare to Ask’ format.

Five partners will share their biggest regenerative-agriculture challenge — inviting the collective expertise in the room to co-create new solutions. Participants will leave feeling connected, inspired, and ready to bring new innovation opportunities to life. Confirmed partners: Aviko · Agricycling · Protein Farmers NL · Soilytix · 5th partner to be announced soon!

More info

The Upcycling Community

Step into an energetic session where community members celebrate recent wins, explore shared ambitions for 2030 and openly surface the challenges holding us back. You bring your own success stories, personal challenges and ideas to the table, helping shape a collective picture of what the community needs next. Through guided discussions and a lively marketplace, you’ll discover where others can support you and where your expertise can help move shared needs forward.
You leave with new connections, clearer priorities and concrete offers of help to advance your upcycling ambitions long after the session ends.

Practical information

Date: 11 December 2025

Time: 10:30 – 18:00 hrs

Location: Wageningen Campus, Omnia Building

Hoge Steeg 2 | 6708 PH Wageningen | the Netherlands

Registration only onsite

Relive the experience! Watch the aftermovie of the 2024 Partner Event

Mark your calendar for 11 December 2025. We can’t wait to see you there!

The Foodvalley Partner Event is for partners only. If you are not a Foodvalley Partner, you can purchase a ticket to attend this event.