A newsletter about a healthier food environment in the Netherlands
Covering the forces behind our food choices and the solutions to overcome the obesity crisis
I created a newsletter called Achter de Voedselkeuze, which is Dutch for “beyond the food choice” in response to the obesity crisis. This newsletter is aimed at parents who would like to see their children grow up in a healthier food environment.
Here’s how it came about…
Last year, I moved from my home country, the Netherlands, to Oklahoma City in the United States. When I started looking for daycare for my then 1-year-old daughter, I was shocked to find out what food they serve babies: Steak fingers, corn dogs, Goldfish crackers, and other highly processed foods I had never heard of before. I soon realized that junk food has been completely normaliszd in this part of the world.
Eating unhealthy food at an early age puts children at risk of struggling with weight for the rest of their lives. More and more research shows that once you’ve gained weight, it’s incredibly hard to lose it.
Being overweight or obese is one of the leading causes of disease. At least 2.8 million people around the world die from it each year. It’s a burden on the health care system and a great source of personal suffering due to reduced quality of life, discrimination, stigmas, and a higher risk of depression.
Just like many other countries, the Netherlands has “very little chance of meeting the 2025 target set by the UN to halt the rise in obesity.” More than half of adults and 17% of children in the Netherlands are too heavy, and those numbers keep rising.
Not a single country in the world has managed to reverse its obesity crisis. And we may not find solutions as long as we see obesity as a matter of individual choice. The idea that obesity is caused by a lack of willpower or discipline is deeply rooted in society. This personal responsibility narrative also dominates media coverage. Yet, it’s oversimplified.
Science shows that being overweight is not a matter of personal failing. It’s due to an evolutionary mismatch among our brain, genetics and our unhealthy world. The human brain is hardwired for calorie-dense foods. It allowed us to survive in times of scarcity. But there is no more scarcity. On the contrary, our environment is flooded with unhealthy foods that are engineered to make us crave them.
Yes, we make our own food choices, but they’re highly influenced by the world we live in. “Eating is like a ball you push forward. You have to do it by yourself, but together we determine the slope against which you have to push. We need to bring that slope down,” said Jaap Seidell, professor of nutrition at VU University Amsterdam, in a recent podcast on NPO radio 1.
To overcome the obesity crisis, we need to rethink our food environment. In my newsletter, I will cover — not our food choices — but the forces that drive our food choices.
Some examples of those forces:
- Around 80% of products in Dutch supermarkets are unhealthy.
- There are more fast food restaurants than “normal” restaurants.
- Unlike many other countries, there is no sugar tax in the Netherlands.
How do these external forces affect our ability to make healthy choices?
What to expect from my newsletter
Subscribers receive stories about our current food environment and what is done to make it healthier. My stories are always constructive and critical, based on journalistic principals. I aim to meet readers’ information needs and cover stories that are missing in the coverage on this particular topic.
These are the types of stories in my newsletter:
✅ Explainers —Short and concise explanations of political measures and regulations in our workplaces, schools, hospitals, and train stations. How easy is it to make healthy choices in these public food environments?
✅ Curation — Stay up-to-date with the latest news on the Dutch food environment. I guide readers to the stories that are worth time and attention, so they don’t miss the best journalism on this topic.
✅ Solutions — How are other countries trying to tackle the obesity crisis? I covered Chile’s pioneering warning label system, and I will research Sweden’s healthy school lunches and the impact of the British sugar tax.
✅ Interviews—Conversation with medical experts, tax specialists, food scientists, nutritionists, entrepreneurs and changemakers — people who are going the extra mile to create a healthier food environment.
✅ Actionable ideas — Wherever I can, I will share how readers can take action to improve our food environment. For example, how to start a petition to stop a fast food restaurant coming to their neighborhood.
❌ Personal advice — I share practical tips to improve the food environment, but I don’t cover weight loss advice, recipes or the health benefits of particular foods. There are plenty of sources out there for that.
The strategy behind my newsletter
My newsletter is a product of my participation in the Entrepreneurial Journalism Creators Program at the City University of New York. Together with 20 other journalists, I developed the skills and knowledge to build a newsletter on a niche topic from scratch.
Here’s a very concise version of my journey:
- Quality journalism — Before producing anything, I did audience research: a survey and in-depth interviews to verify the assumptions I had about what stories would be valuable to readers. I need to understand deeply what problem readers are trying to solve in their actual lives. On the back of that, I produce stories based on journalistic principles that will create value for my readers.
- Grow a community — Audience research is an ongoing process. Every newsletter edition is an opportunity to ask questions. I listen to my readers and let them know how I use their input. Through transparency, I’m building trust and growing my community. I’m not looking for a large audience, rather a small group of readers who are particularly interested in this niche topic.
- Financial sustainability — I can only pursue this newsletter if I can make it financially sustainable. To generate revenue, I need to give readers the opportunity to pay for my work. I do that through memberships and donations. As well as being reader-funded, I will look for sponsorships and grants. This combined income allows me to spend time and effort covering these important stories.
What newsletters can do for journalism
With local news in decline, many journalists have left their newsrooms to become full-time newsletter writers. Some of them are filling critical information gaps that news outlets can no longer afford to cover.
Newsletters allow journalists to reach readers directly. Unlike social media, there are no algorithms to dictate what stories readers are seeing. This allows journalists to build a long-term relationship with their audience.
Newsletter are a great fit for niche topics. It doesn’t require a large audience, just some dedicated readers that are looking to be informed on a specific topic they’re interested in, bypassing information overload.
There appears to be an appetite for new media formats, at least in the United States. A recent study shows that 16 to 40-year-olds are more willing to pay for independent creators’ work than for traditional newspapers.
Don’t miss out: Sign up for my newsletter!
If we do nothing, 62% of Dutch people will be overweight or obese in 2040. However, obesity is a preventable disease and this crisis can be reversed if we’re willing to rethink our food environment. That’s what my newsletter is about. Sign up now or follow me on Instagram!
