This was Food Transformation Forum – The Annual Meeting 2025: ‘Future-proofing the Dutch food and agriculture ecosystem, Becoming Resilient, Sustainable, and Competitive.’

This theme was at the heart of the Food Transformation Forum, hosted by Patrick Niels, BU President Taste, Texture & Health, en lid Executive Committee, dsm-firmenich
on 29 October 2025. The forum brought together 85 C-suite executives from across industries and functions.

Key insights:

• The Netherlands’ agri-food sector stands at a pivotal crossroads where competitiveness, sustainability, and food security must advance in unison.
• Transformation cannot occur in silos — it requires collaboration across the entire value chain, from soil to shelf, supported by coherent government policy and a stable regulatory framework.
• True progress depends on shared accountability and fair cost distribution, ensuring that farmers, processors, retailers, and consumers all contribute to sustainable outcomes.
• Innovation and technology — including biotechnology, AI, and precision agriculture — can unlock significant impact, but only when combined with transparency, education, and behavioural change.
• Policy clarity and bold leadership are essential to move from fragmented initiatives to coordinated, system-wide transformation.
• The Forum reinforced that the sector’s future hinges on integrating the four C’s — conscious consumers, courageous leadership, conscious capital, and true cost — as guiding principles for a resilient, regenerative, and competitive Dutch food system.

Moderators:
Lisbeth Imbo, Chris Lakens & Kiran Sanchit

Contributors:
Han Kolff,  PLUS Retail
Sjoukje Heimovaara, WUR
Gerda Verburg, Next Food Collective
Aart van Haren, PLUS Retail
Tjarda Klimp, Vion Food Group
Hans Meeuwis, Royal Cosun
Marit van Egmond
Aniruddha Kusurkar,  FrieslandCampina
Martijn Snoep, Authority for Consumers & Markets
Pieter Wolleswinkel, ForFarmers
Coen de Vuijst, Oliver Wyman
Sandra Molenaar, Consumentenbond
Willem van Weede, Vivera Food Group
Faiza Oulahsen, KPMG
Willem Unger, Royal Agrifirm Group
Puck van Holsteijn, World Horti Center
Dirk Lodewijk,  Koopmans Koninklijke Meelfabrieken
Jochem Dragt, Capgemini
Marjolein Brasz, Foodvalley
Marten van den Berg, ministerie van Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit
Marian Geluk, Next Food Collective
Tim Hehenkamp, Jumbo
Cees-Jan Adema, FNLI
David Fousert, Royal Avebe
Nirmalya Banerjee, TCS
Kees Kruythoff, Summa Equity

Partners:
Capgemini
ING
KPMG
Oliver Wyman
Spencer Stuart
TCS

Location:
dsm-firmenich, Delft