Agrifood
The entire Agrifood value chain is represented in Brabant, from primary production to animal genetics and from vertical farm to wholesale. This applies to the entire sector as well as to sub-chains. And together they are proof that what really sets it apart is the unbeatable combination of representatives of the traditional agricultural sector with those of the high-tech sector.
Brabant has all the ingredients to develop innovative, sustainable food systems and market them far beyond the borders.
Alternative Proteins are essential in the food transition
To provide the growing world population with sufficient protein in the future, the transition from animal to alternative proteins such as algae, seaweed or insects is indispensable.
Brabant has the perfect combination of the strengths of a fully-developed traditional protein value chain – both animal and plant-based – and the innovative power of high tech disruptors in concepts such as ‘protein breweries’, ‘vegetarian butchers’ and state-of-the-art insect breeders. For example, companies like Protix, Royal Cosun, BioscienZ and The Protein Brewery are active in R&D of alternative proteins in Brabant.
Brabant has a special position in the Netherlands. Almost 50% of the insect breeders are located there. Protix is a great example, as it’s the market leader in scalable insect breeding and located in our region.
Agrifood Technology niches
Alternative Protein
Animal-based foods are more resource-intensive than plant-based foods. A global shift in people’s diets towards eating more plant-based proteins instead of animal proteins will be much better for our planet. For every food calorie generated, animal-based foods – and ruminant meat in particular – require multiples more in terms of feed and space and emit far more greenhouse gasses than plant-based foods.
The challenge is to help make this shift through innovation and working together. And Brabant is the place to do so.
Food-tech
The Brabant food industry has been active in developing processes and technologies for the efficient use of plant-based raw materials and upgrading residual flows for over a decade. It’s the reason for the success stories of many of the large raw material/food processing companies in the region, such as Royal Cosun/Cosun Beet Company, Cargill , Mars, Danone Nutricia and Unilever.
But today the suppliers to these major food producers are leading the way in new processing technology, as are consortiums of SMEs that develop food products on the basis of residual flows or new conservation techniques.
Agri-tech
Based on a history of over 100 years of Agrifood innovation, Brabant is the location for validation and upscaling of Agri-tech concepts due to the ideal crossover of strong knowledge in agricultural farming and the high tech sector in Eindhoven. This means the region will be the frontrunner in developing solutions to the sustainable food challenges we face heading towards 2030 and later.
Because Brabant is a densely populated agglomeration with a high pressure from the agri-food sector on the living environment, there is a lot of pressure to develop smart solutions with minimal impact on people, animals and the environment. And as these problems are increasingly occurring elsewhere in the world, this creates opportunities to use our high level of knowledge for this purpose.
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Thijs Taminiau
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