These were the ten most-read stories of March 2025. From rising cheese and beef prices to new European packaging regulations and concerns about exports to the US. Neerlandia Urk proves that "can't" is not in their vocabulary, HAS students impress with innovative packaging ideas, and camel milk turns out to be a serious niche market. The shortage on the dairy market, the renovation of butcher shop Visser, and the sector's continued reliance on manual labour also drew plenty of attention.
10 March 2025 | Neerlandia Urk was founded in 1972 by brothers Herman and Albert Romkes and was taken over at the end of 2019 by five sons of the founders. Originally, this traditional fish company specialized in a wide range of North Sea fish, but over time, its product range has expanded to include various Atlantic fish species and salmon—mainly sourced from Norway. Nothing is too crazy; ‘impossible’ simply doesn’t exist here. Need a different type of packaging, shape, or size? Neerlandia Urk rises to the challenge.
10 March 2025 | New European legislation requires that, from 2030 onwards, all plastic packaging must contain recycled content derived from post-consumer packages. At present, this is only feasible for PET packaging. To meet these new requirements, significant changes are necessary.
10 March 2025 | Packaging needs to be more sustainable. Everyone agrees on that. But how? Companies must align their processes and products with evolving regulations, including the new Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). In practice, this is proving to be quite a challenge.
20 March 2025 | Beef prices are soaring, and consumers will soon notice the difference. A global shortage of cattle has pushed beef prices well beyond previous record levels in recent weeks. In the Netherlands, carcass prices are now nearly 9% higher than the previous peak. Expectations are that prices will continue to rise. This is based on figures from DCA Market Intelligence, which provides market data and benchmark prices for the food and agribusiness sectors.
7 March 2025 | Cheese prices are seeing their biggest increase since September. Key factors include concerns over milk supply in Europe and persistently low stock levels. DCA Market Intelligence reports that some producers are delivering foil cheese that is less than three weeks old. The dairy market is behaving differently than usual for this time of year. Normally, milk production would be rising significantly, which would drive prices down. That is not the case this year. In fact, many dairy products are becoming even more expensive.
6 March 2025 | The Dutch food industry could take a major hit from a potential new 25 percent import tariff on all European goods, which Trump is considering. During his first term, the impact on the Netherlands remained limited, as key export products such as cheese were not affected by tariff increases. This time, the outcome could be different.
10 March 2025 | At Kamelenmelkerij Smits, just a stone’s throw from Den Bosch, more than a hundred camels are kept. It is the only professional camel dairy farm in Europe. The (raw) milk is sold not only in the Netherlands but also in France and England. Dorieke Goodijk enjoys pioneering. However, strict regulations make the journey far from easy.
10 March 2025 | After 30 years, the workspace of Slagerij Visser was due for an update. During the renovation, butcher Thieme Visser deliberately opted for an open and obstacle-free space: "Much tidier and, above all, easier to clean. Our family business is set for another 20 years."
27 March 2025 | The Dutch food processing industry still runs largely on manual labour. But that model is beginning to strain. While other sectors are investing heavily in automation, productivity in food production has barely moved in the past decade.
10 March 2025 | During the annual HAS Food Experience, more than 150 students from HAS green academy presented their innovative concepts, each addressing key challenges in the food industry. This year’s theme, ‘Next Food Waves’, focused on the future of food and the trends shaping the industry. We highlight four projects from this promising new generation of innovators.
Source: Vakblad Voedingsindustrie 2025
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