From Food to FoodCare: a holistic path to well-being  

We’re facing a turning point. As Judith van der Horst-Graat​, Lead Food & Health at Foodvalley, emphasizes: we urgently need to rethink the relationship between food, health and well-being. Our current systems are no longer sustainable. Every social issue eventually becomes a health issue, yet too often, we attempt to solve these challenges with medical interventions when they aren’t medical problems to begin with.

To secure a healthier future, we need to shift from treating illness to fostering long-term health. And that starts with food.

From survival to thriving: why food is health

In 2022-2023, around 51% of adults in the Netherlands were classified as overweight, with approximately 16% living with obesity. Without significant policy intervention, projections estimate this figure will rise to around 57% by 2030 and 62% by 2040 (1, 2). Despite existing dietary guidelines and public health campaigns, research shows that only 10% to 50% of Dutch citizens follow the recommendations for healthy eating, depending on product category (3,4).

Yet, we see a declining focus on food in public policy, both locally and nationally. Funding cuts mean difficult choices and too often, food in relation to prevention is the first to go. But science is clear (5):

• Good food lowers healthcare costs (reducing diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and several types of cancer).
• Good food improves quality of life (boosting immunity and reducing chronic disease).
• Good food prevents illness (80% of Type 2 diabetes cases are diet-related).

And let’s not forget mental health: what we eat directly impacts our mood, resilience, and stress levels. In a world filled with uncertainty, proper food is more crucial than ever.

Food and healthcare: an unified approach

We need to tear down the outdated separation between food and healthcare. What if, instead of treating food as a commodity and healthcare as a cure, we recognised them as part of the same ecosystem, working together to prevent disease rather than merely managing it?

The concept Food as medicine has been around for years, yet structural change remains slow. While the conversations continue, lifestyle-related diseases continue to rise.

We must stop talking and start acting

But action requires ownership. Here’s the paradox: the benefits of a healthier food system such as lower healthcare costs, higher productivity, reduced absenteeism and healthier citizens are felt primarily by healthcare systems, governments, insurers, employers, and individuals. Then who takes the lead in investing in food innovation?

This is where the entire ecosystem must come together. Ingredient suppliers, food manufacturers, supermarkets, and out-of-home services must take responsibility, but they cannot bear it alone. The entire food and health ecosystem must collaborate in new, cross-sector ways.

That means asking bold questions:

• What does a future-proof business model look like?
• What role could physicians play in prevention?
• How can insurers reward healthy eating?
• Can governments support innovation with cross-sectoral public-private partnerships?
• What’s needed to activate citizens as co-owners of their health?

This is no longer a food-sector issue. It is a systems issue.

Reflecting the vision of Judith van der Horst-Graat​, Lead Food & Health at Foodvalley, this shift requires us to fundamentally rethink the role of healthcare, placing well-being at the centre rather than simply treating illness. At the same time, we must integrate food and health into one unified approach focused on prevention. And finally, we need to challenge outdated structures by identifying and removing the barriers that still stand in the way of lasting systemic change.

Be part of the FoodCare movement

At Foodvalley, we believe in action over words. We unite the ecosystem: from field to fork to transform ambition into reality. Our mission is simple but urgent: make the healthy choice the easy choice, for everyone.

We invite you to be part of this movement. Let’s start the conversation, rethink roles, challenge outdated structures, and co-create a healthier future.

Because when we take care of good food, good food can take care of us.

References

1. Obesity rate tripled over past 40 years | RIVM

2. Overgewicht zal blijven toenemen tot 2050, vooral onder jongvolwassenen | RIVM

3. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-022-13282-x?

4. DNFCS 2019-2021, 1-79 years | RIVM

5. Planetary Health Diet Lowers Risk of Death by 30%: Harvard Study