Mission
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre (Voedingscentrum) provides information on, and encourages consumers to make, healthier and more sustainable food choices.
Our mission is based on a number of general environmental factors:
- Nutrition is the basis of good health;
- Our food supply has an impact on society and the environment;
- We live in a pluriform and complex society;
- Everyone has freedom of choice.
Vision
Our vision illustrates how the Netherlands Nutrition Centre aims to achieve its mission.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre is an authority in the field of information and behaviour with respect to food and nutrition
The market is becoming increasingly fragmented with the arrival of alternative sources of information about healthy and sustainable food. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre bases its authority in particular on sound scientific evidence and seventy years of experience in providing information on nutrition.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre chooses an integrated approach
Healthy food, food safety and making more sustainable choices are topics that cannot be viewed as separate issues. Within this context, we view sustainability from the perspective of food security, featuring energy consumption, the use of raw materials and waste as important themes. Making a well-balanced decision can be difficult, as healthy food may not always be sustainable. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre, in its unique position, helps consumers make well-considered choices.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre encourages changes in behaviour and a healthy range of food on offer
We use the push-pull approach. Our push approach is geared towards producers, with the aim of ensuring a readily available range of healthy and sustainable products. Our pull approach uses campaigns to boost consumer preferences for healthy and sustainable products. The pull approach is designed to create an optimum balance between a nationwide orientation and a local/regional approach, which is tailored to meet local demands. A nationwide approach is a prerequisite for a successful campaign (i.e., for changing behaviour) at the local level.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre provides independent information, based on sound scientific evidence
Science was, is and will remain the basis of all our activities. Science ensures our independence as a platform and, therefore, makes us unique in the Netherlands. Our scientific research is based on the information provided by a number of consensus bodies and we pursue the policies put forth by the Health Council of the Netherlands. Additionally, we encourage scientific research and education by appointing special chairs at universities. The Nutrition Centre also has an extensive knowledge network of specialists at its disposal.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre is a binding force
We are associated with virtually all parties in the Netherlands that deal with food and nutrition. Our key position allows us to convey the essential message about healthy and more sustainable nutrition to a wide audience on a joint basis.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre seeks cooperation with other parties
We can’t do it all on our own. In the past few years we gained a tremendous amount of experience in committing other parties to our goals. We choose to cooperate and share our knowledge and experience with both local and national professionals and the food industry. This allows a multiplier effect to be achieved. Download our Code of Conduct.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre puts topics on the agenda
We consider it our duty to assign the issue of healthier and more sustainable nutrition top priority on the agendas of the food industry and consumers as well as in politics and the media. We aim to foster social awareness through our advocacy role.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre offers employees a challenging working environment
We are proud of our team of more than seventy professionals who make an effort each and every day towards achieving our mission and realising our goals.