Gezonde sportkantine

A healthier and more sustainable food environment in sports canteens is essential: canteens shape daily choices, influence social norms and provide a scalable setting to reach children, young people and families. More sustainable procurement reduces ecological footprint (fewer food kilometres, fewer highly processed products) and cuts food waste (Voedingscentrum). Research shows strong public demand for accessible, affordable and attractive healthy options at sporting events: ~82% say healthy food belongs at events and 81% value active promotion of healthy choices, while ~50% are dissatisfied with current offerings — citing lack of healthy options (≈39%), dominance of fast food (≈19%) and absence of fresh fruit and vegetables (≈13%). Parents especially prioritise child-friendly options (67%) (Markteffect, 2024).
Changing practice is challenging. This project is a practice-based pilot collaboration between CuHaBo Catering (Maaspoort canteen: operations and till data), Heroes Den Bosch (venue, events, audience), the professorship ‘Innovation for Sustainable and Healthy Food’ at Yuverta (MBO Nutrition), HAS Green Academy (HAS; Centre of Expertise Green Health), AgriFood Capital (regional network and scaling partner) and the municipality of ’s-Hertogenbosch / GGD (policy link). Students from MBO Voeding & Leefstijl and HBO Food Innovation are embedded in research and product development.
Planned outcomes include: a baseline assessment of the Maaspoort canteen against the Schijf van Vijf; a needs analysis among ≥200 visitors; at least four Schijf van Vijf-compliant product prototypes; test days and a pop-up healthy counter; pilot data from transaction and visitor feedback for scenarios on margins, turnover and waste; and a co-creation toolkit for visitor engagement. Findings will inform a practical business case and an implementation roadmap for scaling healthier, financially viable and more sustainable canteen models to other clubs and neighbourhoods. (Markteffect, 2024; Voedingscentrum)