Round Tables on Customized Nutrition in May and June

31 March 2023

Food & Bio Cluster Denmark is inviting for two round table events in the spring of 2023, during which we will explore the member’s interest in and need for establishing a network, and discuss some of the potentials, market drivers and risks around the concept of customized nutrition.

"The future market of personalized food is massive!" Judith van der Horst, author of FoodValley’s report “Personalized Nutrition…..” exclaimed during a presentation of her findings, at the occasion of a webinar organised by the project Global Foodture. Her statement is supported by Dutch Rabobank and according to the market intelligence and advisory firm ResearchDive, the market is expected to amass a revenue of $21,407.30 Million by 2028 and Rise at a CAGR of 13.40% in the 2021-2028 Timeframe.1 The tendency is clear in both Asia, the US and Europe.

Member Companies of the cluster confirm the tendency but are more skeptical to the timing; they point out that we are still in a phase in which Danish consumers are difficult to nudge to make healthier, more personalized choices of food. This is especially because Danish consumers distrust fortified foods (with added ingredients e.g. vitamins), as they look for “clean label”, and because creating food which is tailor-made e.g. for each person’s genome or blood type provides a too vast logistical problem for the already existing food producers.

At an EU-level the skepticism towards how companies handle data is a major obstacle; both because giving away personal information such as your genome or stool samples requires a high level of trust, and because handling that data comes with considerable effort at the company’s end.

These obstacles are some of the reasons why, according to Professor Lars Ove Dragsted, heading the Department of Preventive and Clinical Nutrition at University of Copenhagen, companies are more successful providing nutritious foods to groups of people with similar needs, for example hospitalized people in the need of specific diets that support their recovery.

Lars Ove Dragsted, Professor and head of Department of Preventive and Clinical Nutrition at University of Copenhagen

But how does this knowledge translate into successes by Danish food & beverage companies now and in the future? How can members of the cluster contribute to our common objective to “provide sustainable food that is, healthy and tasty, and safe to a growing world population”.

Discuss the potentials, market drivers and risks at our roundtables

This is where we take our start, as Food & Bio Cluster Denmark invites for the first round table on Customized Nutrition on May 4th 2023, in which Lars Ove Dragsted, who has studied the effect of nutrition on gut and health since the 1980’ies, will take the participants through examples and definitions. At the next round table on June 7th, we will visit Nestlé Health Care in Copenhagen and hear about “Healthy Hydration”.

Kathrine Lykke Kirk and Heidi Høy Dyrholm are responsible for the round tables and are curious to hear member’s perspective on the matters of customizsed and personaliszed nutrition. “Over the last years, we have both met many startups, public kitchens and companies – large and small – who are eager to provide nutritious food that make a difference for people with a broad variety of needs, and we sincerely look forward to discussing the perspectives.” Heidi explains. “One objective is also to figure out if there is a need for a professional network on the matter.”