Partners

Our partners are key players in the global food industry and leading research institutes, universities and medical centres. The research programme is co-funded by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Industry partners

Cargill

Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services. Founded in 1865, the privately held company employs 139,000 people in 65 countries. Cargill helps customers succeed through collaboration and innovation, and is committed to sharing its global knowledge and experience to help meet economic, environmental and social challenges wherever it does business.

CBL

CBL (Centraal Bureau Levensmiddelenhandel) looks after the interests of the Dutch food retail organisations in the areas of food safety, health, sustainability and logistics/supply chain. CBL represents 29 retailers and is contact point for the food industry, NGOs, government, politics and the media. The annual turnover of the Dutch food retail organisations is more than 31 billion euros.

Chr. Hansen

Chr. Hansen, headquartered in Denmark, develops natural ingredient solutions for the food, pharmaceutical, nutrition and agricultural industries. Their portfolio includes cultures, enzymes, colours and functional systems, developed in close cooperation with its customers and partners. Christian Hansen has distributors and agents around the world and employs 350 employees in over 30 countries. Its had revenues in 2007/2008 of 477 million euros.

CRV

CRV is an international enterprise in the field of cattle improvement. The shareholders are the Dutch Co-operative CR Delta and the Flemish Co-operative VRV. CRV has operations in The Netherlands, Belgium, Brazil, New Zealand, the Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Germany and Spain. In addition to these countries, the products and services of CRV are marketed in approximately 50 countries worldwide. In 2007/2008 a total of almost 7 million doses of semen were sold across the globe. The head office is located in Arnhem (NL).

CSK food enrichment

CSK food enrichment supplies ingredients to the international food industry with an emphasis on dairy products. Customers can not only depend on CSK for tailor-made ingredients, but also for support in the development and improvement of new or existing products. CSK is acknowledged as a proficient and reliable supplier with many years of experience in dairy manufacturing. www.cskfood.com

CSM

CSM is the largest supplier of bakery products worldwide and is global market leader in lactic acid and its derivatives. An extensive range of bakery products and ingredients are produced and distributed to artisan and industrial bakeries and for in-store and out-of-home markets. PURAC, part of CSM, develops lactic acid applications for food, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. CSM operates in business-to-business markets throughout Europe, North America, South America and Asia and generates annual sales of 2.5 billion euros and has a workforce of about 8,700 employees in 24 countries. www.csmglobal.com www.purac.com

Danone

Danone’s mission is ‘Health Through Food’. It entails developing products with nutritional profiles and benefits adapted to the needs of consumers and to local public health issues. Health Through Food also means improving the eating habits of individuals and promoting better nutrition, and making this accessible to all through close collaboration with scientific and health authorities. Danone is the world’s number one in fresh dairy products and number two in bottled waters and infant nutrition, and European market leader in medical nutrition. The company has about 81,000 employees and sales of around 15.2 billion euros. www.danone.com www.research.danone.com

DSM

Royal DSM creates innovative products and services in Life Sciences and Materials Sciences that contribute to the quality of life. DSM supplies globally to a wide range of markets and applications, supporting a healthier, more sustainable and more enjoyable way of life. Markets include human and animal nutrition and health, personal care, pharmaceuticals, automotive, coatings and paint, electrical and electronics, life protection and housing. DSM has annual net sales of 9.3 billion euros and employs some 23,500 people worldwide.

Federatie Nederlandse Levensmiddelen Industrie (FNLI)

The FNLI is the umbrella organisation of the Dutch food industry. It represents the interests of Dutch companies and organisations in the wider European food industry and is a contact point for trade partners, NGOs, government, politics and the media. The Dutch food industry has an annual turnover of more than 50 billion euros and employs around 140,000 people.

FrieslandCampina

Royal FrieslandCampina is a multinational that produces and markets natural, nutritious, high-quality dairy products and ingredients. The company has annual revenues of 9.5 billion euros, 21,000 employees, and 100 production and sales locations in 25 countries. Product ranges includes consumer milk, powder and concentrated milk, dairy drinks, yoghurts, desserts, cream, coffee creamers, baby and infant food, cheese, butter and ingredients. The business is based on a cooperative model with 16,000 member dairy farmers of Zuivelcoöperatie (Dairy Cooperative) FrieslandCampina who both own the company and supply the milk.

Fromageries Bel

Fromageries Bel specialises in developing and manufacturing affordable, high-quality, brand-name cheeses that are enjoyed around the world. Bel has 30 successful global brands, with the key attributes of being healthy and fun in nature as well as being tasty and enjoyable to share with others. Its five core brands are distributed on each of the five continents and coexist with over 20 leading local brands. In 2008, Bel generated sales of 2.2 billion euros. Western Europe accounts for 60 per cent of the group’s turnover.

GlaxoSmithKline

GSK is one of the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, developing and supplying medicines to improve patients' quality of life. GSK employs over 97,000 people in over 100 countries.

Kellogg Company

The Kellogg Company is the world’s leading producer of cereals and a leading producer of convenience foods, including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, fruit-flavoured snacks, frozen waffles and veggie foods. The company manufactures in eighteen countries and sells its products in more than 180 countries around the world. Kellogg has always been a leader in industry, innovation and marketing. They were the first to offer premiums in retail cereal packaging and the first to fortify their cereal products. 2009 sales revenues were $12.6 billion.

Nestle

Nestlé, headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, was founded in 1866 by Henri Nestlé and is today the world's leading nutrition, health and wellness company. Their mission is to bring the best and most relevant products to people, wherever they are, whatever their needs, throughout their lives. Nestlé employs about 280,000 people and has operations in almost every country in the world. Sales for 2009 were 108 billion Swiss francs.

PepsiCo

PepsiCo is a global food and beverage leader with net revenues of more than $65 billion and a product portfolio that includes 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in annual retail sales. Our main businesses make hundreds of enjoyable foods and beverages that are loved throughout the world. PepsiCo’s people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth by investing in a healthier future for people and our planet, which we believe also means a more successful future for PepsiCo.

Philips Research

Philips Research is a global organization that helps Philips introduce meaningful innovations that improve people’s lives. Philips provide technology options in the area of health and well-being for both developed and emerging markets. They put people at the center of our work, responding to their aspirations, needs and desires while constantly achieving better energy efficiency and higher levels of sustainability. This approach has led to more than a century of breakthrough innovations

Productschap Zuivel

http://www.prodzuivel.nl/

Unilever

More than half of Unilever's revenues come from food and the company understands that the ingredients and formulations they use and the way they advertise and market their brands have the potential to make a big impact on global health. They accept that as their business grows so do their responsibilities. Unilever is committed to reducing ingredients such as saturated fats, sugar and salt and to actively working to reduce child obesity. Unilever employs 163,000 people, sells products in 170 countries worldwide, and had a turnover in 2009 of about 40 billion euros.

VION Food Group

VION produces high-quality foodstuffs and ingredients for people and animals. The food product portfolio comprises fresh pork, beef, lamb, chicken and derived convenience food products, as well as a wide range of vegetarian consumer products, brought to consumers via the retail, industrial and food service sectors. The Ingredients product range is based on natural raw materials of animal origin, such as gelatine, plasmas and fats. These ingredients are applied widely in the pharmaceutical, technical, food, feed and energy markets. VION has 35,500 employees and an annual turnover of 9.6 billion euros.

Wrigley

Wrigley is a recognized leader in confections with a wide range of product offerings including gum, mints, hard and chewy candies, and lollipops. Wrigley's world-famous brands – including Extra®, Orbit®, Doublemint®, and 5™ chewing gums, as well as confectionery brands Skittles®, Starburst®, Altoids® and Life Savers® – create simple pleasures for consumers every day. With operations in more than 40 countries and distribution in more than 180 countries, Wrigley's brands bring smiles to faces around the globe. The company is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, employs approximately 17,000 associates globally, and operates as a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated. Based in McLean, Virginia, Mars has net sales of more than $30 billion, six business segments including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks, Symbioscience, and more than 70,000 Associates worldwide that are putting our Mars Principles into action to make a difference for people and the planet through our performance.

Research partners

ACTA Dental Research

ACTA is a collaborative venture involving the Faculties of Dentistry at the University of Amsterdam and VU University Amsterdam. ACTA conducts scientific research, provides educational programmes, and delivers patient care in the field of dentistry. In international circles, ACTA ranks among the leaders in teaching and research. Besides training students to be dentists, ACTA provides postgraduate courses for dentists. ACTA has a workforce of approximately 500, and approximately 500 students are enrolled in its Dentistry programme.

Groningen University/UMCG

Founded in 1614, it is one of the world’s oldest universities and has an international reputation as one of the leading research universities in Europe. The University Medical Centre Groningen (UMCG) carries out fundamental and patient-oriented clinical research with a focus on healthy ageing in all its priority areas: research, clinical care and education. Research is carried out in the Institute of Healthy Aging (the umbrella organisation for activities such as the cohort study LifeLines), the UMCG Center for Geriatric Medicine (UCO) and the European Research Institute on the Biology of Ageing (ERIBA). www.rug.nl www.umcg.nl

Maastricht University/MUMC+

Maastricht University & Maastricht University Medical Centre focus on innovation. By devising new ideas for products and services the university helps to strengthen the knowledge economy, the health care sector and the legal system. NUTRIM (The School for Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism), based in the University’s Medical Centre, is focussed on research into metabolic and chronic inflammatory diseases. Fifteen biomedical, clinical, and behavioural-science departments are incorporated within NUTRIM. The School for Cardiovascular Diseases(CARIM), also based in the University’s Medical Centre is focussed on research into cardiovascular health and diseases, vascular biology and atherosclerosis and nutrition in relation to cardiovascular diseases.

NIZO food research

NIZO food research is one of the most advanced, independent contract-research companies in the world. The institute develops competitive technologies for new product deliverables, low-cost alternatives for product formulations or processing, and provides support on issues of food safety & quality, sustainable processing and health claims. NIZO’s food-grade pilot plant is one of the largest in the world and available for test production.

TNO

TNO is an independent research organisation whose expertise and research make an important contribution to the competitiveness of companies and organisations, to the economy and to the quality of society as a whole. With its broad knowledge, experience and expertise, TNO plays an important role in the translation of fundamental scientific insights into innovative, tailor-made applications. One of the research programmes of TNO is Food. Within this multidisciplinary programme TNO develops tailor-made solutions on the issues Food and Health, Food Innovations and Food Safety. The organization develops methods and produces insights in the following areas: short-term assessment of health effects of food products and novel ingredients, safety assessment of complex food matrices and allergenicity, early detection of emerging food risks, product reformulation, ingredient functionality and novel processing. TNO is a partner in several public-private partnerships (PPPs) and open innovation networks in the Netherlands and the European Union.

Wageningen University and Research Centre

To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life. This is the mission of Wageningen UR. A staff of 6,500 and a student population of 10,000, from and based in over 100 countries, are busy with issues around healthy food and healthy environment for governments and the global business community. In cooperation with industry and government, Wageningen UR develops new concepts and technologies directed to meeting consumer food preferences and producing safe and healthy foods.