Questions? Get in touch
Questions? Get in touch
Nominees Food Boost Challenge 2022 announced
The nominees for the Food Boost Challenge 2022 have been announced. The jury has selected ten nominees from 25 innovative and inspiring innovations. They were presented last Friday during the matching and co-creation day of the challenge at Van Gelder Groenten & Fruit. Five teams of hbo students and five teams of wo students will take up the challenge with their ideas to tempt young people aged 12 to 20 to eat more fruit and vegetables (products).
A topical theme that is also being considered in The Hague and in the bigger cities. How can we together create an environment where healthy food is accessible to all and is preferred over the excessive unhealthy offerings?
Together with the initiators Medical Delta Living Lab VIT for Life, HortiHeroes, Foodvalley NL and De Haagse Hogeschool and the 34 partners involved, the teams are working on a prototype that will be presented on a national stage during the pitch event on 24 May.
The teams could submit ideas in various categories: products, hotspots, technology and routes to market. All four categories were represented in the ten nominations and judged on innovativeness, potential impact, ambition and team:
- An educational social app that supports better mental and physical health
- An online programme where healthy recipes, events and new products come together
- Smart range of fruit and vegetables in your own fridge
- A trendy vending machine with healthy snack variants
- Hybrid meat with vegetable substitutes
- A healthy alternative to biscuits
- Attractive vegetable snack
- Quick and tasty supply of fresh fruit and vegetables at hotspots for young people
- Fresh tasty smoothies at smart locations
- An annual challenge that makes eating fruit and vegetables attractive
Very cool to see that experienced and young food innovators really work together to move the concepts forward and very unique that the target group (from Lentiz MBO) was also represented to increase the impact’ – Puck van Holsteijn, on behalf of the initiators of the Food Boost Challenge.
Matchmaking and co-creation
On 18 March, the nominees were officially presented to the 34 partners involved, from retail and producers to banks and investors. During the pitches, all eyes were on the stage and the ideas were received with loud applause. Immediately afterwards, the partners could indicate with which students they wanted to ‘speed-date’. During these speed dates, the partners were introduced to the students’ concepts and presented themselves. Partners and student teams were linked and in the afternoon they tested their ideas with representatives of the target group, students of MBO Lentiz. Through this validation and co-creation the consortia of students and teams will take the next steps in the coming months towards developing and testing their prototype and making a clear pitch for the finals.
Very valuable day with new insights, relevant network. Eager to get to work to test our assumptions and ideas with young people’ – participant Food Boost Challenge
Going into battle with an open mind
The battle is not yet over. The ten nominees will present their innovation on a national stage during the pitch event on 24 May. The professional jury will then choose the winners. This will be an important day for the students, because the winners can look forward to
- € 5,000 prize money for the winners
- € 500,- prize money for the public winners
- Two return airline tickets with 4 overnight stays to Kentucky (USA) to present and validate the idea that potentially best meets the American market there this summer, offered by partner AppHarvest
- National media exposure during the finals on 24 May 2022
- Opportunity to present their idea during Floriade Expo 2022
A healthy future is desperately needed
Why this challenge? Simply because it is desperately needed for a healthy future! Research shows that 17% of young people are overweight. This group structurally consumes too few fruit and vegetables, while their vitamins protect against diseases. In The Hague, too, healthy eating is high on the agenda and steps are being taken to reduce the number of fast-food chains in cities.
The Food Boost Challenge is an initiative of Medical Delta Living Lab VIT for Life, HortiHeroes and Foodvalley NL, with The Hague University of Applied Sciences making an important contribution as knowledge and research partner. Together with 34 leading companies, startups, NGOs and educational institutions, students have joined forces and are challenged to develop an innovative idea.
