52 / SEEDWORLD.COM FEBRUARY 2019 A CTIVE IN MORE than 100 countries and one of the Top 5 vegetable breeding companies in the world, Rijk Zwaan contributes to the health and well-being of people all over the world. One of the company’s goals is to increase the health of people through increased vegetable consumption, says Steven van Paassen. However, he says the company isn’t investing resources into biofortified vegetables. “Why spend the time and money trying to increase the vitamins available in lettuce when you can just mix in sweet pepper and get plenty of Vitamin C,” says van Paassen, the company communications specialist. He says 80-90 percent of vegetables are purchased in supermarkets. As such, the company conducts a great deal of consumer research to understand what is attractive, ON LOCATION: The Netherlands what they like and dislike. Furthermore, they focus on partnering with farmers to ensure they are providing the best seed and accompanying knowledge and resources to help them succeed. This partnership with growers, van Paassen says, is also ben- eficial to our breeders because we get that direct feedback from the farmer and breeders can immediately evaluate or act upon what’s happening in farm fields. “Vegetables are not mass produced like maize and wheat. I always say they are a very social food in that they add color and variety to your meal,” van Paassen says. “Local varieties are very important for local societies. We are always looking for new growing techniques, new varieties and genetics, more resistances and knowledge sharing opportunities.” Viva laVeggies! At the start of the food chain, Rijk Zwaan is breeding for flavor, convenience and consumer desire. Yearly, the company produces about 100 different tomatoes in the Trial Center Tomato, from snack and candy tomatoes to big meaty tomatoes. The greenhouse is 12,500m2. Responding to the need of lighted cultivation, in this greenhouse Rijk Zwaan tests how 51 tomato varieties act under hybrid lighting. 30% Rijk Zwaan invests around of its revenue back into R&D. Tasting an assortment for flavor Learning about Rijk Zwaan’s tomato research