The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature briefed the House of Representatives in early September on the latest state of food waste. Wageningen University & Research's Monitor Food Wastage 2009-2023 shows that 2.27 million tonnes of food will be lost in the Netherlands in 2023 - accounting for 127 kg per inhabitant is a decrease of 17% compared to 2015, but still almost a fifth of our food is lost.

Where does waste take place?

The biggest waste occurs in manufacturing (46%) and households (37%). Retail - supermarkets and distribution - wastes 111 kilotonnes, or 5% of the total

How do we measure now?

Food waste is mapped annually by WUR through the Food Waste Monitor. This measurement methodology combines public data (waste processing, animal feed, renewable energy, consumer waste) with self-monitoring from sectors. For retail, the figures are based on data from supermarket organisations via Stichting Samen Tegen Voedselverswilling (STV). For industry and primary production, the figures are partly derived from secondary data and surveys

This system creates a reliable overall picture, but the decision note warns that cross-chain wastage (loss between links) is still hardly taken into account and therefore deserves a next step.

Strategy: cross-chain measures

The minister outlines in the parliamentary letter that the decline is in danger of levelling off and that a next step is necessary. The commitment focuses on:

1. Expansion of self-monitoring to chain links that are currently lagging behind - especially manufacturing. Transparency like supermarkets should become the norm there too.
2. Cross-chain wastage better measured - losses arising between links (e.g. supermarket requirements causing crop rejection) are not sufficiently visible at present. New WUR research into differences between conventional and organic should bring this into better focus.
3. Higher-value utilisation of residual streams - from animal feed to insect breeding and structural use for food aid, so that valuable raw materials are not lost.

4. European tightened targets - 30% reduction in retail and consumers and 10% in industry by 2030. This calls for measures that go beyond individual company-by-company initiatives.
5. Adjustment of marketing standards - more lenient on cosmetic requirements in fruit and vegetables so that more products reach consumers via retail or processing rather than ending up as waste

And the artisans?

No national figures are available for butchers, bakers and other fresh food retailers. Nevertheless, practical experience and smaller surveys suggest that waste here considerably lower:

• Shorter chains ensure less inventory and faster throughput.
• Demand-driven production makes entrepreneurs more flexible in responding to customers.
• Residual streams gain value because bones, trimmings and surpluses are often processed into new products.

But the minister's message is clear: to achieve further reduction, we need to look beyond the chains, including SMEs.

Conclusion

In its news release of 4 September, the central government mainly emphasises awareness and positive campaigns towards consumers. What is less visible: the real task lies with companies. The parliamentary letter makes it clear that industry and cross-chain losses in particular need to be addressed and that European reduction targets will also affect SMEs.

Source: https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/actueel/nieuws/2025/09/04/voedselverspilling-gedaald-met-17-sinds-2015