On the occasion of the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste on 29.09.2020, Wageningen University & Research published a report on policy measures that contribute to food loss and waste reduction in the Netherlands.

Based on policy review and a broad consultation with Dutch stakeholders, the foundation Food Waste Free United (Samen Tegen Voedselverspilling) selected the top 10 priority measures. These include harmonised food loss and waste monitoring, removing incentives for overproduction in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), creating financial incentives to market food surpluses, decoupling pet feed from livestock regulation, allowing new technologies for quality and safety audits, allowing use of (animal) side-flows for feed, integrated policy for packaging and food loss and waste, financial incentives towards high level valorisation of side-flows, clarifying date marking for consumers and smart sensor technology for date labelling.

The Food Waste Free United coalition and Wageningen University & Research call the Dutch government, businesses and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to change these rules together. A circular food system in which all raw materials are used as effectively as possible will then become the only logical choice.

Click here to read the report.