I joined ETH Zurich as project director for the Plant4Value project following three of my professional passions: collaboration, sustainability and food. This project represents more than just a research endeavour; it is a collaborative effort to address one of the most pressing challenges of our time: the sustainable transformation of our food systems.

While the scientific community agrees on the environmental and health benefits of a more plant-based diet and production system, the transition is fraught with challenges. We face economic dependencies which entail high barriers for farmers seeking to change, limited consumer demand for new alternatives, and an often polarized public discourse. These are the major obstacles and systemic barriers we seek to overcome by an evidence-based, collaborative and solution-focused approach.

Unlocking change through collaboration

ETH’s commitment to combining rigorous scientific inquiry with practical, real-world application is the foundation of our project.

I believe that successful transformation is rooted in collaborative, interdisciplinary work and partnerships. We recognise and heed to the complexity of the food system by including diverse stakeholders across the entire value chain. Plant4Value operates on a transdisciplinary model, bringing together 24 partners, including farmers, food processors, retailers, and policymakers. We are not just studying the problem; we are working with the people which all are essential to co-creating the pathways to a more resilient food future.

Project director Daniela Hoffmann and scientific project director Lukas Fesenfeld are leading and coordinating the transciplinary project, which entails collaboration across the entire food value chain. Photo Credits: Philippe Grob

Piloting real-world solutions

For me, a distinctive part of Plant4Value is our commitment to experimental evaluation for evidence-based change. Over the next five years, we will be piloting and testing a range of innovative levers:

• Farmer Support: Using an experimental budget and/or site-specific consulting to de-risk the shift toward more plant-based food production.
• Technological Innovation: Real-world testing of novel technologies to create new economic value in plant-based food value chains.
• Demand Generation: Implementing choice-architectural and market-based interventions to better understand market potential, adoption and substitution rates.

Our core mission at ETH Zurich is to systematically evaluate the social, economic, and environmental impacts of these interventions. This evidence base is critical for providing policymakers and stakeholders with the data they need to enact effective, efficient, and scalable strategies for a more sustainable food system.

While our focus is Switzerland, the insights generated have global relevance. Every nation food system stakeholder from nation states, to farmers, to multinational companies is seeking pathways to a resilient food future. Plant4Value offers a systematic model for how science, policy, and practice can overcome inertia and foster plant-based value chains.

This transdisciplinary project is funded by the Mercator Switzerland Foundation, the Seedling Foundation, and the Minerva Foundation. It is hosted by the Albert Einstein School of Public Policy at ETH Zurich, in collaboration with the World Food System Center at ETH Zurich. Read more about the project here: https://einstein-school.ethz.ch/en/forschung/forschungsprojekte/Plant4Value.html

This year, we are incredibly excited to co-organise the 9th annual Food Day at ETH Zurich. Since its launch in 2016, the event has become a dear tradition, bringing together our diverse community to tackle one of the greatest challenges of our time: building sustainable food systems.

As part of the World Food System Center (WFSC), we witness daily the breadth and depth of food-system-related research at ETH Zurich and its partner institutions – ranging from agricultural sciences and policy design to food engineering, nutrition, and beyond. Part of our mission at the WFSC is to create connection points that allow this pioneering research to generate real-world impact. Food Day, our flagship event, is one of these important bridges: a day where academic insights move from paper to dialogue.

A Crossroads for Our Planet

We stand at a critical moment. Either we change the way we produce and consume food, or we risk missing the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. That urgency inspired this year’s theme, “Planting Healthier Nutrition,” underscoring the necessity of interdisciplinary collaboration to tackle this complex challenge.

For Olivia, whose background lies in sustainability consulting and communications, connecting scientific knowledge to a broader understanding feels essential. For Billie, trained in food science and with a professional journey focused on healthy, sustainable diets and plant-based innovation, it’s about making the sustainable choice the easy and delicious one.

Together, we wanted to design an event that goes beyond presentations – a space for interaction and co-creation. We envisioned an atmosphere where an industry representative, a policymaker, a researcher, and a student could all roll up their sleeves and exchange ideas on equal ground.

From Research to Recipe: Highlights of the Day

By leveraging diverse formats – from interactive workshops to insightful plenaries – we aim to ensure the event, centred around food systems research, is both accessible and relevant to the audience’s daily lives. This year’s workshops – exploring planetary health and plant-based diets, nutrition and longevity, sustainable plant protection, and the complexities of the cocoa value chain – filled in no time, a clear sign of the growing appetite for change.

At the heart of the day lies dialogue. Our Networking Lunch, curated and prepared by Daizy, will turn food itself into a catalyst for exchange. Each dish embodies the principles of sustainable gastronomy – proving that what nourishes us can also be good for the planet.

The Plenary Session showcases pioneering research from across our 50 WFSC member professors at ETH Zurich, on the topics of smart farming, future foods, and nutrition. Their work reflects the depth of ETH’s engagement in shaping more sustainable food systems. We’re especially looking forward to the keynote by Prof. Frank Ewert, who will explore how Living Labs can drive collaboration and real-world solutions for resilient future food.

The Poster Networking Session invites participants to meet the scientists behind the research. Over coffee and cake, guests can connect directly with researchers and vote for the best poster. And one of our favourite new additions: the Cook the Science – Food Day Special Edition. We’re joining forces with Professor Thomas Michaels’s lecture series, featuring our member Professor Patrick Rühs and chef Michaela Frank. They will uncover the fascinating science behind the structuring and cooking of plant proteins. This is the kind of story that resonates with a broad audience because it translates complex ETH research into an accessible, universal language: cooking.

Planting the Seeds of Change

From living labs to lab kitchens, this 9^th edition of Food Day celebrates collaboration and exchange, curiosity, and the courage to rethink how we feed the world. For us, organizing Food Day is more than planning an event – it’s about connecting people who care deeply about change.

We can’t wait to see the ideas, partnerships, and inspirations that take root on Wednesday 29 October, at ETH Zurich – and to continue cooking up a sustainable future, together.

Registrations are now open!

Workshops: Find links in the program below.

Plenary Session & Networking Poster Session: Register here.

Cook the Science Food Day Special Edition: Register here.

Ready for a new adventure, we joined the World Food Systems (WFS) Summer School 2025, as its theme, Design Ideas for Sustainable Food Systems by World Food System Center at ETH Zurich, spoke to both of us. We are: Natali, coming from health sciences with knowledge of nutrition but less on how food gets from field to plate; and Maria-Luisa, with a background in hospitality management and at the end of a master’s in sustainability, both eager to explore diverse disciplines and step out of our comfort zones.

Arriving on Sunday, we were greeted by a diversity of backgrounds. On day one, discussions ranged from recycling packaging to sales negotiations, with team-building activities that included dance moves and Play-Doh. Our team from Ethiopia, Brazil, Switzerland and Italy, bonded over building marshmallow towers, defining roles, and favourite snacks like cucumber sprinkled with Aromat.

Throughout the week, inspiring speakers introduced stakeholder mapping, systems thinking, and even an impromptu lentil pancake cooking class. We embraced Zurich’s summer with swims in the Limmat and searching for the best ice cream in town. Field trips evoked childhood school outings: early trains, lunchboxes, and sleepy rides. At Hoflabor near Uster we learned about regenerative farming methods and got our hands dirty weeding celery. Tasting fruits straight from the trees and watching bees and butterflies made us appreciate organic farming anew. At Strickhof, we encountered a “fistulated cow” and learned about cows equipped with “fitness trackers”.

A highlight was the lunch shopping challenge: each team received a family scenario and a budget. Natali’s group had to feed four people on just seven francs, debating every cent; Maria-Luisa’s group, with 120 francs, found it surprisingly hard to spend so much on one meal. Comparing results revealed how resources shape both diet and food experience. Later, at Rathgeb Bio, we marvelled at the large-scale organic vegetable production, and the surprising number of vegetables not conforming with retail specifications.

Week two was all about applying theory to practice. Our challenge: to help Hoflabor share regenerative farming methods. Armed with Post-its, we ideated wild ideas, from mud baths, tractor competitions, and even a farm rave, to inspire more farmers. Most importantly, we learned the value of teamwork, listening, and reflecting on our roles. Creativity thrived when we embraced everyone’s input.

We ended with Michelle Grant’s talk on conflict as a catalyst for change. By then, we had experienced both fun and tensions, and her message reframed conflict as growth. We left with the lesson that while science matters, trust, safe spaces and collaboration are what turn knowledge into impact.

For both of us, the most valuable takeaway was the people: future food researchers, supply chain managers and entrepreneurs, who became our friends. The summer school turned food systems from abstract to living, interconnected realities, and showed us that collaboration is essential for change.