Our Mission | Vitagri — Why We Exist

The Problem

Food Has Changed. Our Systems Haven't.

Decades of research show that the mineral and vitamin content of UK food has declined significantly since the mid-twentieth century. Iron, zinc, magnesium, copper — the nutrients that underpin immune function, cognitive performance, and chronic disease prevention — are measurably lower than they were.

The causes are well understood: soil degradation, variety selection for yield over nutrition, high-input farming that prioritises speed over biological complexity. The same crop grown under different conditions can vary 200-fold in antioxidant content.

Yet the food system pays farmers for tonnage, not nutritional quality. There is no standard way to measure, verify, or reward nutrient-dense production. This is the market failure Vitagri exists to solve.

Our Mission

Measure, Verify, Reward

"Build the UK's first credible framework to measure, verify, and reward nutrient-dense food production — connecting soil health to human health."

We do this through rigorous research, policy engagement, and the development of the GroundUp Framework — a practical, science-based measurement system that any farmer, buyer, or policy maker can use.

Evidence First

Every claim we make is grounded in peer-reviewed science. Our Growing Health white paper synthesises over 3,000 studies and cites 150+ direct references. We don't advocate beyond what the evidence supports.

Farmer-Centred

Farmers are the solution, not the problem. Our framework is designed to be practical and rewarding for producers — creating commercial pathways for those who invest in soil health and nutritional quality.

Systems Thinking

Individual interventions rarely stick. We work across the whole food system — from soil biology to supermarket procurement — because that is where durable change happens.

Rigorous Standards

The GroundUp Framework is built for credibility. Testing protocols, verification procedures, and certification standards are designed to withstand commercial and regulatory scrutiny.

Open Research

Our white paper and citations are freely available. We share findings publicly because the problem — a food system that doesn't reward nutrition — affects everyone.

Market Solutions

We believe the most durable change comes when doing the right thing is also commercially rational. Our framework creates business cases for nutritional quality alongside the policy case.

Our Story

How Vitagri Began

Vitagri was founded by David Rose, a farmer, entrepreneur, and food system analyst who had spent years researching the disconnect between what the food system measures and what actually matters for human health.

After compiling years of research into the evidence base for nutritional variation in food crops, it became clear that no credible, practical framework existed for measuring and rewarding nutrient-dense production in the UK. The Growing Health white paper was the first step: synthesising the evidence. The GroundUp Framework is the next: creating the system.

Vitagri has assembled a team of agronomists, nutritionists, technologists, and policy specialists to build this framework with the rigour it demands — and the pragmatism it needs to work in the real world.

Meet the Team Read the Research

We are actively building partnerships with farming organisations, retailers, healthcare bodies, and research institutions. If your organisation shares our mission, we'd love to hear from you.

Get in Touch

Why Vitagri Exists