Plant-based diets, a necessity for the future

On 19 November 2024, the fourth Plant the Future dinner took place, organised by the Transition Coalition Food. The afternoon programme brought together around 230 people from a wide range of sectors: entrepreneurs from the entire chain, scientists, NGOs, and politicians. The theme was ‘from ideal to business impact’. Despite the great diversity of contributions by speakers, including from meat processing companies, there was no doubt among those present about the need to reduce the share of animal protein in our diet and to drastically increase the share of plant-based protein.

Feedback EU was one of the many organisations and companies that hosted a round table. At our table were Elly Hemmelder (supermarket Plus) and Eline van Muilwijk (Quista), Bram van Helvoirt (scientist), Brenda Poot (Municipality of The Hague), Liane Lankreijer (Ons Eten, a local food alternatives network in The Hague), and Renate Stuger (founder of the petition for a neighborhood supermarket in Moerwijk). Feedback EU specifically invited them to support the initiative from Moerwijk for a supermarket with economic, ecological, and social functions for the neighborhood and to further explore the concept of a democratic supermarket. During the imaginative and tasty plant-based dinner, we had inspiring conversations about giving voices to people in the supply of produce and value creation of supermarkets and what would be needed to make this happen. Time flew by and at the end we concluded that we would like to set up a business case with residents and entrepreneurs for a social and healthy supermarket, in which of course the share of plant-based proteins is at least 60%, but also the supply meets at least 60% of the Wheel of Five with mainly fresh food and short chains. We would like to thank our guests for their committed and inspiring contributions to the discussion!

During the dinner, Frank Mechielsen, director of Feedback EU, offered a summary of the report “Trading away the Future? How the EU’s agri-trade policy is at odds with sustainability goals” to MPs from five political parties. The report uses case studies in soy, rapeseed, and beef to show that EU trade policy does not contribute to a sustainable transition of our food system, but rather increases inequality and climate change, health problems and food insecurity.

Key-note speakers were Rasmus Prehn, former Danish Minister of Agriculture, and Rune-Christoffer Dragsdahl, President of the Vegetarian Association in Denmark. They presented the progressive Danish Plan of Action to enable the plant-based transition in agriculture. Their main message was to work together, even with parties with whom you usually do not sit around the table and look for the common ground that connects us all, in this case food. In the process, all interests are carefully considered, but it is inevitable that concessions will also have to be made. Above all, look for the possibilities for all parties. They referred to the Netherlands, where the agriculture sector has many similarities with the situation in Denmark, to develop its own Plan of Action to accelerate the food transition and to collaborate with the Danes to produce such a plan at the European level as well.