Seminar on healthy food choices - Berlin, January 21

Although we all know that healthy nutrition is important, consumers often make a different choice. Labelling something ‘healthy’ is no guarantee of influencing purchasing behaviour. Issues such as price, convenience and flavour take precedence as these are tangible at the moment of choice, unlike our (future) health. Also at play is the preconceived notion that healthy food will be more expensive. So while much effort continues to be expended on steering people toward healthier options, it is not always having the desired effect. 

Cooperation between the ‘golden triangle’ of industry, government and science is essential if healthy food choices are to be successfully stimulated. This seminar highlights possibilities, examples and future perspectives.

Join the debate
Active contributions from the public will play a key part at the seminar. Please come and join the debate, which will be based on a series of challenging statements.

Chaired by Wouter Verkerke from Wageningen UR, guest speakers at the seminar will be:

• Onno Franse              Programme Director Healthy Living & Climate Action at Royal Ahold. Over 25 years of experience in the field of international food production and marketing, with a focus on corporate development and new trends.
  
• Kees de Graaf            Professor of Sensory Science and Eating Behaviour in the Human Nutrition department at Wageningen UR. Over 150 original scientific articles published on the psychological and biological factors that are decisive for food intake and food choice.
  
• Mrs Nevin Özütok       Alderman for the Amsterdam East district.

Examples of the cooperation between government, industry and science include Fruit4Sport and the virtual supermarket.

Fruit4Sport
Fruit4Sport promotes the sale of self-produced fruit in Dutch sports canteens. The fruit within the programme is grown, cared for and harvested by the sports clubs themselves on the surrounding grounds. This way fresh fruit acquires a logical place in the canteen’s product range. The concept brings food production closer to the people, and stimulates healthy nutrition. It was developed based on the knowledge that sports fields are an important meeting place for local people, who can also benefit from the programme. Fruit4Sport is a joint initiative of InnovationNetwork and Applied Plant Research (PPO), part of Wageningen UR.

Virtual supermarket
The virtual supermarket allows Wageningen UR to examine issues such as how to stimulate a healthy diet or the way customers process hallmarks for sustainable or healthy products. Wageningen UR runs the virtual supermarket on behalf the government, manufacturers, retail sector and market research institutions. See for yourself the advanced 3D computer setup during the Grune Woche at the Wageningen UR stand (H18-101-03). The live results of a virtual supermarket at the exhibition will be announced during the seminar.

Join us on 21 January 2013 from 15.00 to 16.30 in the meeting room on the first floor of the stand (H18)