Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley and Swiss Re join forces to advance Nutrition4MetabolicHealth

Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley (SFNV) and Swiss Re have signed a Letter of Intent to launch Nutrition4MetabolicHealth, a new three-year collaborative initiative focused on advancing prevention through nutrition and positioning Switzerland as a leading ecosystem for metabolic health innovation. The initiative responds to the growing societal and economic impact of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which today account for an estimated 72% of Switzerland’s healthcare costs despite only 1.8% of healthcare spending currently being allocated to prevention.*

Building the foundation for a cross-sector initiative

The initiative builds on more than a year of discussions between 12 SFNV partners exploring the role of food systems in improving long-term health outcomes and addressing the growing impact of NCDs, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome.

Contributing partners include leading organisations across food, science, health and innovation such as Agroscope, Bühler, EHL, EPFL, ETH Zürich, dsm-firmenich, Givaudan, Helbling Technik, Nestlé, Tetra Pak and ZFV, alongside numerous nutrition-focused Swiss startups. 

These conversations helped shape a shared vision for a collaborative initiative focused on prevention, awareness and the role of nutrition in health — not only to improve quality of life and population wellbeing, but also to support the long-term sustainability of healthcare systems and the wider economy.

Christopher Wall, Founder, Co-CEO & CSO of Maven Health, one of the Swiss startups engaged in the initiative, said, “We know that prevention and behaviour change cannot happen through healthcare systems alone. By bringing together startups, researchers, industry and public stakeholders, Nutrition4MetabolicHealth creates an opportunity to explore more connected and proactive approaches to long-term health and wellbeing.”

Strengthening the initiative through collaboration with Swiss Re

Building on this foundation, Swiss Re — one of the world’s leading providers of reinsurance, insurance and risk management solutions — has partnered with SFNV to help strengthen and scale the initiative through a three-year collaboration.

The Letter of Intent was signed on the 21st May 2026 during the SFNV General Assembly in Bern by Dr John Schoonbee, Global Chief Medical Officer at Swiss Re, who highlighted the urgent need to shift from reactive healthcare toward prevention-focused approaches.

Commenting on the partnership, Dr Schoonbee said: “Food is health. Nutrition is one of the most powerful levers we have to improve long-term health outcomes and help people live healthier lives for longer. Much of the metabolic ill health we see is driven by poor nutrition. Switzerland is well placed to lead through collaboration across food, science, healthcare, insurance and public policy.”

What comes next

Over the coming months, Swiss Re and SFNV, together with Valley partners, will convene a series of cross-sector roundtable discussions to identify priority focus areas, co-develop pilot projects and strengthen collaboration opportunities across the ecosystem.

The initiative is looking to engage stakeholders across food, health, science, insurance and policy — including food companies and startups, retailers and gastronomy partners, hospitals and clinicians, universities, insurers, NGOs, foundations and policymakers.

The wider ecosystem will then come together at the first annual Nutrition4MetabolicHealth Summit, taking place on 3–4 November 2026 in Switzerland.

Stakeholders interested in contributing to the initiative can visit the Nutrition4Metabolic Health landing page to find out more, or request an invitation to the Summit. 

*Sources: MonAM, Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) 2022–2024 | FAO

Get the latest Swiss food innovation news, events and jobs in your inbox.

Latest News