This was the 1st year of NÉGYOSZ
The Hungarian Association of Plant-Based Food Producers and Distributors (NÉGYOSZ) started its work at the end of November, beginning of December 2022, just over a year ago. Here is a summary of what we have done and achieved in our first year.
By human standards, it is still in its infancy, when we cling on and try to take our first hesitant steps. Yet, looking back on this little more than a year, we see that we have embarked on many projects with great momentum and made our voices heard in many areas. What is the reason for this? Perhaps it’s the plant food market, which is about to explode, or the close-knit team, most of whom have known each other for years and have worked together on many projects for a common goal.
NÉGYOSZ has set itself the key task of promoting the sustainability of the domestic food system and increasing the recognition and role of plant-based proteins in the diet of the Hungarian population. The promotion of plant-based diets and the representation of the interests of the producers present in the domestic plant-based food market were an obvious part of our mission.
What has NÉGYOSZ achieved since its creation?
We are proud to say that we have laid important foundations to achieve our goals. The first of these was our participation and comments in the technical consultation on the report of the Economic Competition Authority’s dairy sector inquiry, which launched the recognition of the role of the vegetable category as an alternative to dairy products.
We had the opportunity to give a presentation at the Hungarian Prison Education Centre on the relationship between meat-free nutrition and sustainability, and we participated in a consultation and made suggestions to the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Food Chain Safety Office on the issue of naming plant-based foods, participated in an animal rights conference and represented plant-based eating in the public catering competition, presented at the Flexi Forum and completed our first representative consumer research on the uptake of and barriers to plant-based eating. And in October 2023, we produced our Manifesto.
In the process, we have gained a wealth of experience and knowledge, and as we have moved forward, more and more volunteers have come forward to offer their services. Without them, we would not have been able to organise, or would have found it very difficult to organise, our events, which also helped us to promote plant-based foods and to represent the interests of producers. These included our first self-organised event, the Conference for Sustainable Food Systems, and the Plant-Powered Perspectives conference in November 2023, which was held for the 3rd time and co-organised in partnership with the Vegan Business Circle (VBC).
For an even more detailed list of our activities to date, we have included a timeline here, it’s worth clicking and reviewing that too.
We are proud that in our first year we have already attracted major players in the plant-based products and distributors market such as BiOrganik Ltd, Danone, Naszálytej Tejfeldolgozó és Kereskedelmi Kft. and Pápai Hús. In addition to the large companies, NÉGYOSZ has also been strengthened by the accession of small and medium-sized enterprises, which create exceptional value.
Our plans for 2024 and beyond
As you can see, despite its young age, NÉGYOSZ is going from strength to strength. It is a dynamic organisation, full of exciting plans and goals for 2024 and beyond!
(Featured image source: pixabay)