Japan: Foodvalley’s “Personalized Nutrition as Driver of Sport Success” viewed by more than 200 people
In the run-up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic games, Foodvalley NL organized an online event titled “Personalized Nutrition as Driver of Sport Success” on 24 June, 2021, in close cooperation with the Netherlands Embassy in Tokyo, Team NL Expo Tokyo, Sports Center Papendal, Eat2Move, Go4Export, and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) . As many as 220 people participated in this event moderated by Dr. Jeroen Wouters, Global Ecosystem Development of Foodvalley NL. The event was livestreamed from the special platform of TeamNL Tokyo Expo, called Rangaku Now.
Experts from research and business from the Netherlands and Japan gave insights by showcasing examples of the relevance of nutrition to sports performance, in an aim to identify and explore business opportunities in the field of personal nutrition.
In the first part of the session, Mr. Peter van der Vliet, Ambassador of the Netherlands in Japan, shared with viewers his experience as an amateur athlete, by emphasizing three important pillars of success: rest, practice, and linked personalized nutrition as the third driver of sports success.
Dr. Kyuma and Dr. Kobori from NARO gave clear presentations about their priorities, like the moonshot program and society 5.0, while Prof. Renger Witkamp, of Wageningen University and Eat2Move, gave his presentation on “Trends and Developments in Personalized Nutrition in the Netherlands", especially on measuring the dynamics of health, and big data analysis.
Dr. Shihoko Suzuki, chairperson of Sports Nutrition and Dietitian Japan, who plays an important role as Vice-Chair of the Olympic Village Menu Advisory Committee, revealed the food policy in the Olympic village, and also how Sports Nutrition and Dietitian Japan came into existence, as one of the certifying bodies of sports nutritionists in Japan.
Dutch and Japanese companies active in sports and nutrition, such as Protifarm, Mitsubishi Life Sciences, Fuji Oil and HAPP, took part in the event to showcase their business success in this field.
Live interview with top athletes from Japan and the Netherlands
As a highlight of the event, Mark Huizinga, Olympic Judo Champion, and Mike Havenaar, who played for the Japanese national soccer team as well as for Dutch football clubs Vitesse and ADO Den Haag, top athletes from both countries, participated in an inspiring live interview. They disclosed their view on top performance and nutrition.
Through the event it became obvious that the Netherlands and Japan have a lot in common; like aging populations and the need for healthy nutrition. The pandemic outbreak of Covid-19 urges athletes and non-athletes alike to pay more attention to health, our immune systems, and our well-being. With the Olympic and Paralympic Games, more people will be interested in doing sports. The perfect momentum for sport nutrition!
Launch of "Global FOODture Project" (fall 2021)
In his closing remarks, Dr. Evert Jan Krajenbrink, Agricultural Counsellor of the Netherlands Embassy in Tokyo, revealed as more good news, that the EU recently has approved the funding of a new project called “Global FOODture” and that FoodValley NL is part of this winning European consortium.
This project will support European small and medium enterprises and startups to tie up with companies in Japan, in order to develop sustainable solutions for the food chain. This 30-month long project will start right after the Games in mid-September 2021. This will mean that there will be plenty of future opportunities for the stakeholders in both countries to explore future business. (inquiries on “Global Foodture”: Jeroen.wouters@foodvalley.nl)
Recording of "Personalized Nutrition as Drive of Sport Success"
You can view a part of the event at after movie
The full recording of the event is available here
By Agricultural Department of the Netherlands Embassy in Tokyo
tok-lnv@minbuza.nl
