Dr. Bernhard van Lengerich is founder and CEO of the Seeding The Future Foundation, a private foundation focusing on initiatives which help achieve equitable and sustainable global food systems leading to a safe and nutritious food supply, as well as supporting foundational initiatives at Universities and Research Institutions in the US and Europe addressing Food System related issues in Policy, Health and the Environment.

After apprenticeships as artisan baker and pastry chef Bernhard van Lengerich studied Cereal Technology at the Technical University of Berlin, Germany and completed his PhD Thesis in Food and Biotechnology with summa cum laude. Following his Dissertation, he held positions with increasing responsibilities at companies along the food value chain in Europe and the US. In 1994 Dr. van Lengerich joined General Mills, Inc. in Minneapolis. As General Mills’ first Chief Science Officer and Vice President for Technology Strategy he was responsible for Science and Technology Development across the company. He led General Mill’s Game-Changer Innovation Program and created a novel Technology Venturing initiative, enabling faster and higher impact innovations towards more healthy and sustainable food solutions. Bernhard retired from General Mills in 2015 and subsequently founded the Seeding The Future Foundation. His Foundation is the initiator and sponsor of the Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge, an annual competition designed to incentivize and support high impact innovations to improve food systems globally, awarding $1MM annually in grants and prizes.

Bernhard van Lengerich is the inventor/co-inventor of over 150 US and international patents. He holds a Honorarium Professorship at the Technical University of Berlin, Germany in Food Technology and is a Fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists in Chicago (IFT). Bernhard van Lengerich has been an invited participant in discussions at the White House Office for Science and Technology Policy on global protein security under the Obama administration.

 In 2016 Bernhard van Lengerich joined Beyond Meat in an advisory role as acting CTO and Head of R&D. During his tenure at Beyond Meat he led the development of the first Beyond Burger in 2016 and served on the Board of Beyond Meat until 2021. 

Bernhard van Lengerich is a member of the supervisory board of the German Institute of Food Technology (DIL), and serves in advisory roles for various organizations in the US and Europe