The food we consume in today’s globalized society is produced all over the world and often transported over long distances. Such an economically efficient food production and distribution system offers a broad variety of food products all year round. However, the complexity of the current system, which uncouples production and consumption of food, has raised concerns about its impact on society and on the environment.

In Amsterdam, this has led to a current food system where citizens live in an obesogenic society and unhealthy food supply and consumption dominate. In general, Amsterdam citizens eat too much salt, sugar, and saturated fats en not enough fibers. The food contains too many pesticides and too much is thrown away. Healthy food is more expensive, less available & accessible, and less promoted than unhealthy food. This makes it more difficult to led citizens on the lower social economic position eat and live healthier. Moreover, the present food system causes degradation of soil, air, water, and biodiversity.

Project

Food waste grinder

Metropolitan Food Systems

How can we revolutionize food waste collection in high-rise buildings?

Project

EU4Advice: Building a better network for short food supply chains

Metropolitan Food Systems

EU4Advice aims to create a learning ecosystem for short food supply chain advisors, policy-makers, researchers & farmers. This will accelerate the potential of empowering both producers and consumers toward a more just and sustainable food system.

Project

Bin2Bean: Organic waste soil improvers

Metropolitan Food Systems

In 2022, Amsterdam households, restaurants, food retail and food manufacturing generated 188 mln. kg of kitchen and garden waste. Only 25% has been collected and processed separately. Bin2Bean increases this waste separation to make soil improvers.

In reaction, international and national treaties have been signed and targets have been set to change the current food system. It has been agreed upon that governments at all administrative levels are responsible to contribute to the aimed change. As a result, the city of Amsterdam has taken concrete steps to contribute to a more sustainable, healthier, and local food systems. These steps have been summarized in a food strategy that consists of 6 action lines: 1. food as a social connection, 2. Waste and food spoilage, 3. Healthy food environment, 4. Regional production and distribution, 5. Entrepreneurship, and 6. Animal welfare, protein transition & circular agriculture.

Vertical farming

AMS Institute's contribution

As being founded by the city of Amsterdam, the AMS Institute supports this food strategy by bringing in the relevant scientific knowledge that is presently available to help the city in their ambition. We focus only on those aspects of the food system where our influence is maximal: the citizens of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area. Our aim is to increase the supply of healthy food in the city that is inclusively produced (i.e., where conditions of the local urban society, urban ecology, and urban economics are taken into account).

We therefore initiate innovation activities in both high-tech and low-tech food production to make healthy food accessible for citizens situated in the low economic position and to make citizens aware of the ecological aspects of food, such as animal welfare, biodiversity, and circularity. In our communication, we want to identify and share the typical Amsterdam food stories that are the basics of the local food culture of Amsterdam. These findings are used to increase food connection and awareness for all citizens, but also to inform about our activities and why we do so.

More about our research on this topic

Projects that focus on urban ecology deal with either circularity or climate resilience. We challenge circular urban food by stimulating new technology development and implementation that aim for maximal circularity. For Climate resilience, we participate in a project to become water resilient for drought and salt intrusion and design new infrastructure for alternative urban water sources that allow resilience in future greenery and urban agriculture. In addition, we have just initiated an innovation program called: ‘Biodiversity positive cities’, where consumers are informed about the impact of food choice and local biodiversity.

The urban society projects focus on informing, involving, or consulting local citizens about aspects of the food systems. For informing urban dwellers we construct and build monitoring systems to inform citizens about an actual status in their environment. Projects where we involve local citizens focus on exotic foods that are locally difficult to access, or initiatives where we want to help people located in the low socioeconomic position.

The urban economics projects deal with projects that stimulate upscaling of urban food production to allow locally produced food for the general urban. We also stimulate, supervise and connect young entrepreneurs to upscale their ideas into real businesses opportunities.

“It is a nice challenge to connect urban issues and stakeholders to scientific expertise and researchers so that society will truly benefit from joint research projects”

Henk Wolfert

Program Manager Research & Valorization

Wider Impact

The urban food system is heavily intertwined with the global food system, and we therefore seek national and international cooperation. On national level, we cooperate with the national science foundation (NWO) on high-tech food production (Sky-high) and resilient water use for food & greenery (AquaConnect). We work on provincial level (EFRO kansen voor west) with industrial partners on urban food production (GrowX 2.0) and regional food production (Food strategy of the province of North-Holland). On European level, we have joined several initiatives from the Horizon Europe program on circularity (Circle 2.0, Rootlet, Data4food2030), stimulating young people for healthy diets (Treasure Diet) and networking on local food production (Smart Chain). On global level, we seek cooperation with the United States and Singapore (CustUNize) for high-tech urban food production.

Want to know more or looking to collaborate?

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Project

Feeding the multicultural city: Gardening know-how and culinary heritage of immigrants

Metropolitan Food Systems

This project highlights the gardening know-how and culinary heritage of immigrants* and their contribution to Amsterdam's food environment. It hopes to stimulate policy to recognize immigrants as powerful changemakers and food transition stakeholders.

Project

Bin2Bean: Organic waste soil improvers

Metropolitan Food Systems

In 2022, Amsterdam households, restaurants, food retail and food manufacturing generated 188 mln. kg of kitchen and garden waste. Only 25% has been collected and processed separately. Bin2Bean increases this waste separation to make soil improvers.

Project

Food waste grinder

Metropolitan Food Systems

How can we revolutionize food waste collection in high-rise buildings?

Project

Food waste grinder

Metropolitan Food Systems

How can we revolutionize food waste collection in high-rise buildings?

Project

The true cost of the food chain

Metropolitan Food Systems

The municipality of Amsterdam and Almere have expressed ambitions for a more sustainable food system.

Project

EU4Advice: Building a better network for short food supply chains

Metropolitan Food Systems

EU4Advice aims to create a learning ecosystem for short food supply chain advisors, policy-makers, researchers & farmers. This will accelerate the potential of empowering both producers and consumers toward a more just and sustainable food system.

News

EU4Advice: Short Food Supply Chains

Metropolitan Food Systems

Short food supply chains (SFSCs) present solutions to the pressing challenges within our current food system.

News

EU4Advice: Short Food Supply Chains

Metropolitan Food Systems

Short food supply chains (SFSCs) present solutions to the pressing challenges within our current food system.

News

Innovating vertical farming

Metropolitan Food Systems

Project

Bajeskwartier Living Lab

Metropolitan Food Systems

Bajeskwartier in Amsterdam gets a test bed for sustainable innovations

Project

Bajeskwartier Living Lab

Metropolitan Food Systems

Bajeskwartier in Amsterdam gets a test bed for sustainable innovations

News

Farmvent: A vertical farming solution

Entrepreneurship

How can we reduce food miles and waste? With Farmvent’s automated vertical farms growing herbs and greens sustainably at

Project

Urban Farming Academy

Metropolitan Food Systems

Recently, the Netherlands has experienced sharp price increases in supermarkets. The Urban Farming Academy aims to create an urban agriculture academy that will train citizens who can work as producing consumers (prosumers) in Amsterdam Southeast.

Project

Protein monitor for catering facilities

Metropolitan Food Systems

Amsterdam aims to stimulate citizens to eat more plant-based food. The focus is to develop new knowledge, stimulate awareness and improve food skills for citizens and visitors in Amsterdam.

Project

Protein monitor for catering facilities

Metropolitan Food Systems

Amsterdam aims to stimulate citizens to eat more plant-based food. The focus is to develop new knowledge, stimulate awareness and improve food skills for citizens and visitors in Amsterdam.

Project

Vertical farms for urban food supply

Metropolitan Food Systems

GROWx is setting up an efficient, 100% robotized, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven vertical farm in Amsterdam.

Project

Culinary Cultural Heritage

Metropolitan Food Systems

This project explores cultures in Amsterdam to identify chances for sustainable urban farming of exotic foods.

News

"Feeding the city" available in English

Metropolitan Food Systems

After the publication of the essay book 'De buik van de stad' last December in Dutch, the English translation 'Feeding the city: Farming and the future of food' is now available. Here you will find a free downloadable version.

News

"Feeding the city" available in English

Metropolitan Food Systems

After the publication of the essay book 'De buik van de stad' last December in Dutch, the English translation 'Feeding the city: Farming and the future of food' is now available. Here you will find a free downloadable version.

Project

Searching for Food Prosumers

Metropolitan Food Systems

Prosument' is a contraction of the words 'producer' and 'consumer' and therefore concerns someone who has (partly) produced what he/she consumes himself/herself. This project investigates food prosumption in the City of Almere.

Project

Flevo Campus

Metropolitan Food Systems

Flevo Campus works on rethinking the urban food system for Almere and how this can lead to a better living environment in growing cities, with more healthy citizens.

Project

Flevo Campus

Metropolitan Food Systems

Flevo Campus works on rethinking the urban food system for Almere and how this can lead to a better living environment in growing cities, with more healthy citizens.

Project

Sustainability Potential of Urban Food

Metropolitan Food Systems

A project to analyze an urban food system from a spatial perspective. In a hybrid urban metabolism (UM) and input-output (IO) modeling approach, the economic and environmental dimensions of Almere’s food system will be assessed.

Project

Sustainable Local Food Distribution

Metropolitan Food Systems

Many localization initiatives in food supply chains aim at sustainability benefits, which may or may not be realistic. This study aims to explore this problem area, providing a step towards evidence-based decision-making in food supply chains.

Project

Circular Productive Cities

Metropolitan Food Systems

Circular Productive Cities is a project that that aims for a more optimal and climate friendly use of resources from organic waste by using compost from vegetable-, garden and fruit (VGF) waste as alternative to animal manure.

Project

Circular Productive Cities

Metropolitan Food Systems

Circular Productive Cities is a project that that aims for a more optimal and climate friendly use of resources from organic waste by using compost from vegetable-, garden and fruit (VGF) waste as alternative to animal manure.

News

Floriade Dialogue Summit Wrap-up

Metropolitan Food Systems

How do we build green cities with healthy food for all? This question brought people from all over the world together at the Floriade Dialogues Summit on March 28th in Almere. An inspirational day full of talks and discussions about the future of food.

Project

Bijlmerbajes Vertical Urban Farming

Metropolitan Food Systems

Innovation is evident when a former prison building turns into a site for students experimenting on urban agriculture. The vertical farming project is part of a neighborhood testbed and serves as inspiration for sustainable urban food production.

Project

Evidence Based Food System Design

Metropolitan Food Systems

Feeding people in a growing metropolitan city challenges the production, supply, consumption and removal of food. This project uses data to outline scenarios and integrate the flow of food added to the growing evidence for future food systems.

Project

Evidence Based Food System Design

Metropolitan Food Systems

Feeding people in a growing metropolitan city challenges the production, supply, consumption and removal of food. This project uses data to outline scenarios and integrate the flow of food added to the growing evidence for future food systems.

Project

Eat your city

Metropolitan Food Systems

Three areas in Almere were sampled to explore if naturally growing products can feed people. Research answered whether online libraries listing the occurrences of animals and plants were reliable and how citizens may contribute to local food systems.

Project

Feeding the multicultural city: Gardening know-how and culinary heritage of immigrants

Metropolitan Food Systems

This project highlights the gardening know-how and culinary heritage of immigrants* and their contribution to Amsterdam's food environment. It hopes to stimulate policy to recognize immigrants as powerful changemakers and food transition stakeholders.

Project

Feeding the multicultural city: Gardening know-how and culinary heritage of immigrants

Metropolitan Food Systems

This project highlights the gardening know-how and culinary heritage of immigrants* and their contribution to Amsterdam's food environment. It hopes to stimulate policy to recognize immigrants as powerful changemakers and food transition stakeholders.

Project

Bin2Bean: Organic waste soil improvers

Metropolitan Food Systems

In 2022, Amsterdam households, restaurants, food retail and food manufacturing generated 188 mln. kg of kitchen and garden waste. Only 25% has been collected and processed separately. Bin2Bean increases this waste separation to make soil improvers.

Project

Bin2Bean: Organic waste soil improvers

Metropolitan Food Systems

In 2022, Amsterdam households, restaurants, food retail and food manufacturing generated 188 mln. kg of kitchen and garden waste. Only 25% has been collected and processed separately. Bin2Bean increases this waste separation to make soil improvers.

Project

Bin2Bean: Organic waste soil improvers

Metropolitan Food Systems

In 2022, Amsterdam households, restaurants, food retail and food manufacturing generated 188 mln. kg of kitchen and garden waste. Only 25% has been collected and processed separately. Bin2Bean increases this waste separation to make soil improvers.

Project

Bin2Bean: Organic waste soil improvers

Metropolitan Food Systems

In 2022, Amsterdam households, restaurants, food retail and food manufacturing generated 188 mln. kg of kitchen and garden waste. Only 25% has been collected and processed separately. Bin2Bean increases this waste separation to make soil improvers.

Project

Food waste grinder

Metropolitan Food Systems

How can we revolutionize food waste collection in high-rise buildings?

Project

The true cost of the food chain

Metropolitan Food Systems

The municipality of Amsterdam and Almere have expressed ambitions for a more sustainable food system.

Project

Food waste grinder

Metropolitan Food Systems

How can we revolutionize food waste collection in high-rise buildings?

Project

The true cost of the food chain

Metropolitan Food Systems

The municipality of Amsterdam and Almere have expressed ambitions for a more sustainable food system.

Project

EU4Advice: Building a better network for short food supply chains

Metropolitan Food Systems

EU4Advice aims to create a learning ecosystem for short food supply chain advisors, policy-makers, researchers & farmers. This will accelerate the potential of empowering both producers and consumers toward a more just and sustainable food system.

Project

EU4Advice: Building a better network for short food supply chains

Metropolitan Food Systems

EU4Advice aims to create a learning ecosystem for short food supply chain advisors, policy-makers, researchers & farmers. This will accelerate the potential of empowering both producers and consumers toward a more just and sustainable food system.

Project

EU4Advice: Building a better network for short food supply chains

Metropolitan Food Systems

EU4Advice aims to create a learning ecosystem for short food supply chain advisors, policy-makers, researchers & farmers. This will accelerate the potential of empowering both producers and consumers toward a more just and sustainable food system.

Project

EU4Advice: Building a better network for short food supply chains

Metropolitan Food Systems

EU4Advice aims to create a learning ecosystem for short food supply chain advisors, policy-makers, researchers & farmers. This will accelerate the potential of empowering both producers and consumers toward a more just and sustainable food system.

News

EU4Advice: Short Food Supply Chains

Metropolitan Food Systems

Short food supply chains (SFSCs) present solutions to the pressing challenges within our current food system.

News

EU4Advice: Short Food Supply Chains

Metropolitan Food Systems

Short food supply chains (SFSCs) present solutions to the pressing challenges within our current food system.

News

Innovating vertical farming

Metropolitan Food Systems

News

Innovating vertical farming

Metropolitan Food Systems

Project

Bajeskwartier Living Lab

Metropolitan Food Systems

Bajeskwartier in Amsterdam gets a test bed for sustainable innovations

Project

Bajeskwartier Living Lab

Metropolitan Food Systems

Bajeskwartier in Amsterdam gets a test bed for sustainable innovations

Project

Bajeskwartier Living Lab

Metropolitan Food Systems

Bajeskwartier in Amsterdam gets a test bed for sustainable innovations

Project

Bajeskwartier Living Lab

Metropolitan Food Systems

Bajeskwartier in Amsterdam gets a test bed for sustainable innovations

News

Farmvent: A vertical farming solution

Entrepreneurship

How can we reduce food miles and waste? With Farmvent’s automated vertical farms growing herbs and greens sustainably at

Project

Urban Farming Academy

Metropolitan Food Systems

Recently, the Netherlands has experienced sharp price increases in supermarkets. The Urban Farming Academy aims to create an urban agriculture academy that will train citizens who can work as producing consumers (prosumers) in Amsterdam Southeast.

News

Farmvent: A vertical farming solution

Entrepreneurship

How can we reduce food miles and waste? With Farmvent’s automated vertical farms growing herbs and greens sustainably at

Project

Urban Farming Academy

Metropolitan Food Systems

Recently, the Netherlands has experienced sharp price increases in supermarkets. The Urban Farming Academy aims to create an urban agriculture academy that will train citizens who can work as producing consumers (prosumers) in Amsterdam Southeast.

Project

Protein monitor for catering facilities

Metropolitan Food Systems

Amsterdam aims to stimulate citizens to eat more plant-based food. The focus is to develop new knowledge, stimulate awareness and improve food skills for citizens and visitors in Amsterdam.

Project

Protein monitor for catering facilities

Metropolitan Food Systems

Amsterdam aims to stimulate citizens to eat more plant-based food. The focus is to develop new knowledge, stimulate awareness and improve food skills for citizens and visitors in Amsterdam.

Project

Protein monitor for catering facilities

Metropolitan Food Systems

Amsterdam aims to stimulate citizens to eat more plant-based food. The focus is to develop new knowledge, stimulate awareness and improve food skills for citizens and visitors in Amsterdam.

Project

Protein monitor for catering facilities

Metropolitan Food Systems

Amsterdam aims to stimulate citizens to eat more plant-based food. The focus is to develop new knowledge, stimulate awareness and improve food skills for citizens and visitors in Amsterdam.

Project

Vertical farms for urban food supply

Metropolitan Food Systems

GROWx is setting up an efficient, 100% robotized, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven vertical farm in Amsterdam.

Project

Vertical farms for urban food supply

Metropolitan Food Systems

GROWx is setting up an efficient, 100% robotized, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven vertical farm in Amsterdam.

Project

Culinary Cultural Heritage

Metropolitan Food Systems

This project explores cultures in Amsterdam to identify chances for sustainable urban farming of exotic foods.

Project

Culinary Cultural Heritage

Metropolitan Food Systems

This project explores cultures in Amsterdam to identify chances for sustainable urban farming of exotic foods.

News

"Feeding the city" available in English

Metropolitan Food Systems

After the publication of the essay book 'De buik van de stad' last December in Dutch, the English translation 'Feeding the city: Farming and the future of food' is now available. Here you will find a free downloadable version.

News

"Feeding the city" available in English

Metropolitan Food Systems

After the publication of the essay book 'De buik van de stad' last December in Dutch, the English translation 'Feeding the city: Farming and the future of food' is now available. Here you will find a free downloadable version.

News

"Feeding the city" available in English

Metropolitan Food Systems

After the publication of the essay book 'De buik van de stad' last December in Dutch, the English translation 'Feeding the city: Farming and the future of food' is now available. Here you will find a free downloadable version.

News

"Feeding the city" available in English

Metropolitan Food Systems

After the publication of the essay book 'De buik van de stad' last December in Dutch, the English translation 'Feeding the city: Farming and the future of food' is now available. Here you will find a free downloadable version.

Project

Searching for Food Prosumers

Metropolitan Food Systems

Prosument' is a contraction of the words 'producer' and 'consumer' and therefore concerns someone who has (partly) produced what he/she consumes himself/herself. This project investigates food prosumption in the City of Almere.

Project

Flevo Campus

Metropolitan Food Systems

Flevo Campus works on rethinking the urban food system for Almere and how this can lead to a better living environment in growing cities, with more healthy citizens.

Project

Searching for Food Prosumers

Metropolitan Food Systems

Prosument' is a contraction of the words 'producer' and 'consumer' and therefore concerns someone who has (partly) produced what he/she consumes himself/herself. This project investigates food prosumption in the City of Almere.

Project

Flevo Campus

Metropolitan Food Systems

Flevo Campus works on rethinking the urban food system for Almere and how this can lead to a better living environment in growing cities, with more healthy citizens.

Project

Sustainability Potential of Urban Food

Metropolitan Food Systems

A project to analyze an urban food system from a spatial perspective. In a hybrid urban metabolism (UM) and input-output (IO) modeling approach, the economic and environmental dimensions of Almere’s food system will be assessed.

Project

Sustainability Potential of Urban Food

Metropolitan Food Systems

A project to analyze an urban food system from a spatial perspective. In a hybrid urban metabolism (UM) and input-output (IO) modeling approach, the economic and environmental dimensions of Almere’s food system will be assessed.

Project

Sustainability Potential of Urban Food

Metropolitan Food Systems

A project to analyze an urban food system from a spatial perspective. In a hybrid urban metabolism (UM) and input-output (IO) modeling approach, the economic and environmental dimensions of Almere’s food system will be assessed.

Project

Sustainability Potential of Urban Food

Metropolitan Food Systems

A project to analyze an urban food system from a spatial perspective. In a hybrid urban metabolism (UM) and input-output (IO) modeling approach, the economic and environmental dimensions of Almere’s food system will be assessed.

Project

Sustainable Local Food Distribution

Metropolitan Food Systems

Many localization initiatives in food supply chains aim at sustainability benefits, which may or may not be realistic. This study aims to explore this problem area, providing a step towards evidence-based decision-making in food supply chains.

Project

Sustainable Local Food Distribution

Metropolitan Food Systems

Many localization initiatives in food supply chains aim at sustainability benefits, which may or may not be realistic. This study aims to explore this problem area, providing a step towards evidence-based decision-making in food supply chains.

Project

Circular Productive Cities

Metropolitan Food Systems

Circular Productive Cities is a project that that aims for a more optimal and climate friendly use of resources from organic waste by using compost from vegetable-, garden and fruit (VGF) waste as alternative to animal manure.

Project

Circular Productive Cities

Metropolitan Food Systems

Circular Productive Cities is a project that that aims for a more optimal and climate friendly use of resources from organic waste by using compost from vegetable-, garden and fruit (VGF) waste as alternative to animal manure.

News

Floriade Dialogue Summit Wrap-up

Metropolitan Food Systems

How do we build green cities with healthy food for all? This question brought people from all over the world together at the Floriade Dialogues Summit on March 28th in Almere. An inspirational day full of talks and discussions about the future of food.

News

Floriade Dialogue Summit Wrap-up

Metropolitan Food Systems

How do we build green cities with healthy food for all? This question brought people from all over the world together at the Floriade Dialogues Summit on March 28th in Almere. An inspirational day full of talks and discussions about the future of food.

News

Floriade Dialogue Summit Wrap-up

Metropolitan Food Systems

How do we build green cities with healthy food for all? This question brought people from all over the world together at the Floriade Dialogues Summit on March 28th in Almere. An inspirational day full of talks and discussions about the future of food.

News

Floriade Dialogue Summit Wrap-up

Metropolitan Food Systems

How do we build green cities with healthy food for all? This question brought people from all over the world together at the Floriade Dialogues Summit on March 28th in Almere. An inspirational day full of talks and discussions about the future of food.

Project

Bijlmerbajes Vertical Urban Farming

Metropolitan Food Systems

Innovation is evident when a former prison building turns into a site for students experimenting on urban agriculture. The vertical farming project is part of a neighborhood testbed and serves as inspiration for sustainable urban food production.

Project

Evidence Based Food System Design

Metropolitan Food Systems

Feeding people in a growing metropolitan city challenges the production, supply, consumption and removal of food. This project uses data to outline scenarios and integrate the flow of food added to the growing evidence for future food systems.

Project

Bijlmerbajes Vertical Urban Farming

Metropolitan Food Systems

Innovation is evident when a former prison building turns into a site for students experimenting on urban agriculture. The vertical farming project is part of a neighborhood testbed and serves as inspiration for sustainable urban food production.

Project

Evidence Based Food System Design

Metropolitan Food Systems

Feeding people in a growing metropolitan city challenges the production, supply, consumption and removal of food. This project uses data to outline scenarios and integrate the flow of food added to the growing evidence for future food systems.

Project

Eat your city

Metropolitan Food Systems

Three areas in Almere were sampled to explore if naturally growing products can feed people. Research answered whether online libraries listing the occurrences of animals and plants were reliable and how citizens may contribute to local food systems.

Project

Eat your city

Metropolitan Food Systems

Three areas in Almere were sampled to explore if naturally growing products can feed people. Research answered whether online libraries listing the occurrences of animals and plants were reliable and how citizens may contribute to local food systems.

Project

Eat your city

Metropolitan Food Systems

Three areas in Almere were sampled to explore if naturally growing products can feed people. Research answered whether online libraries listing the occurrences of animals and plants were reliable and how citizens may contribute to local food systems.

Project

Eat your city

Metropolitan Food Systems

Three areas in Almere were sampled to explore if naturally growing products can feed people. Research answered whether online libraries listing the occurrences of animals and plants were reliable and how citizens may contribute to local food systems.