Personalised Nutrition: Opportunities for collaboration The Netherlands and Sweden
Last week, on 15th of May, a group of researchers, businesses, and policy makers from Sweden and The Netherlands came together in Malmö to discuss Precision Nutrition, and how Sweden and The Netherlands can complement each other in this new area of Nutrition.
The meeting was organised by the AgriFood Scandinavia team from The Netherlands Embassy, with the goal to facilitate discussion and sharing of experience and knowledge between Swedish and Dutch experts in this field.
Presentations by TNO, WUR, and Skåne Food Innovation Network
Three engaging presentations by TNO, Wageningen University & Research, and Skåne Food Innovation Network shed light on the current trends and developments within this new and exciting field. We heard how personalised nutrition can help everyone, from the elderly, babies, and those with chronic conditions, to anyone who wants to live a healthier or more sustainable life. We also saw how apps, sensors, and algorithms can help to identify personalised needs at specific times, and what the psychology is behind behaviour change.
Over lunch we discussed the multiple facets of nutrition, and how different institutions are shifting to a more personalised approach, as well as where opportunities for collaborations between disciplines exist. For example, we learned that tailored nutrition for the elderly can improve quality of life as well as health, and that experience from the Netherlands can inform future projects in Sweden. By sharing this knowledge and information, future projects have a higher chance to succeed.
Empowered Consumer
Most importantly, we learned that the main purpose of Personalised Nutrition is to empower consumers to enable better decision making in the supermarkets and their kitchens. This goes against the perceived public image of Personalised Nutrition as a service for the wealthy, where expensive DNA kits and supplements come into play. However, Personalised Nutrition advice should be based on habits, lifestyle, and culture rather than DNA, as our environment and socio-economic status determines what nutrition we have access to and what we want.
Empowering consumers entails providing information and short feedback loops that allow consumers to make more informed decisions. It is predicted that there will be a shift from health claims by products and companies to a more personal approach, whereby consumers decide for themselves (with the aid of apps and tech based on evidence) what works and what doesn't on a personal level.
Future Events
After a fruitful first contact between Swedish and Dutch Personalised Nutrition experts, future collaborations and events look optimistic. Do you work within this sector and would you like to be in the loop for future events where The Netherlands meets Scandinavia? Interested parties are welcome to email Renske Nijland, Senior Policy Officer AgriFood and Nature Scandinavia (renske.nijland@minbuza.nl).
Nynke Blömer, 27 May 2019, Copenhagen