“Flows of Food” is a two day international conference which will establish the Food Council MRA (Metropolitan Region of Amsterdam).   The event will bring together innovators, change agents and decision makers from all sectors of the regional food chain. 

This includes entrepreneurs, governments, academic institutes, and individuals driven by a common sense of urgency and passion for a more sustainable, healthy and affordable metropolitan food system.

According to initiators Jeffrey Spangenberg and Arnold van der Valk, the Food Council boils down to the core question: how to feed nine billion people while keeping spaceship earth intact?

The event will consider the role and impact of food in metropolitan areas from different dimensions: food waste, logistics, obesity, even poverty and injustice. The point is to use the knowledge, creativity, technology and social capital present in the region to transition to a more sustainable food system. This can be achieved by providing a dynamic ecosystem where stakeholders can meet and trade ideas.

The discussion will be structured around six “windows of opportunity”:

  • Creation of new jobs in the food industry
  • Saving on the costs on healthcare
  • Improving green areas around the city
  • Recovering resources from waste
  • Saving water and energy
  • Using knowledge and skills of new actors

Everyone interested in contributing to a more sustainable, healthy and affordable food system is invited to join. The event will take place 7 December 2017 at Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam and 8 December at the Flevo Campus Live site in Almere.  Visit the MRA Food council website for more information and to purchase your tickets: www.foodcouncilmra.nl.