46 organisations from across the Dutch agrifood value chain, including health and nutrition bodies, animal welfare groups, food companies, supermarkets and stakeholders from both the organic and conventional farming sectors, have launched a joint call for a national Action Plan for More Plant-Based Food. The plan was presented to the House of Representatives and requests €65 million in dedicated funding and supportive policies.

The call sets out several areas of action: stimulating demand; strengthening cultivation and production by supporting farmers and encouraging collaboration within the supply chain; using public procurement to encourage more plant-based food and meals in public institutions; investing in research and innovation; investing in export, branding and internationalisation. Stakeholders want at least a third of the funding to go to organic, plant-based initiatives.

Following the Danish Action Plan, this latest development from the Netherlands proves that farmers and food businesses want and need dedicated national plans for the development of plant-based food chains - brought together under an EU Action Plan for Plant-Based Foods.