Hospitals in South Holland, Netherlands, want to serve their staff, outpatients, and visitors meals that are richer in vegetables and more plant-based. But getting fresh produce from growers directly into the hospital kitchen is still far from simple. To bridge that gap, the Province of South Holland, Greenport West-Holland, LUMC, and Nieuwe Lunch Cultuur (NLC) launched a challenge, which was won by The Food Directors.
Together with LUMC, The Food Directors developed their solution: BEUKK, a digital platform that connects growers directly with hospitals. The system shows real-time availability, product origin, and nutritional value, and integrates seamlessly with the ordering systems hospitals already use.
With BEUKK, it becomes much easier for hospitals to source healthy, regional, and plant-based products. "This way, fresh produce from South Holland's greenhouse horticulture flows straight into the hospital restaurant."
Founded in 2021, The Food Directors already offers their own purchasing portal, where companies can order from all their suppliers, farmers, and makers in one go, rather than separately from each one.
The challenge is part of the Startup in Residence (SiR) Intergov program, which connects governments with startups working on innovative solutions to societal issues. Startups receive five months of coaching, a pilot budget of up to €25,000, and access to government networks to test and scale their ideas.
Source: Greenport West-Holland
For more information:
The Food Directors
https://www.thefooddirectors.com/