Legislation

Changes to best before date legislation as of 1 July 2022

On 1 July, the legislation for stating a best-before date will change in the Netherlands. This can have consequences for the best before date information on your products. In the Netherlands, the legislation for indic..

Construction and renovation: Safety first

20 June 2022

In the food industry, there is always a need for expansion and renovation. Food safety and sustainability requirements become stricter, legislation changes. When you discuss construction and renovation, you cannot avoid ...

Two-year contract deal for Dutch meat sector

30 May 2022

The Central Organisation for the Meat Sector (COV) has reached an agreement with the trade unions for a two-year collective labour agreement for the approximately 10,000 employees in the Dutch meat sector. Wages will ris...

Many companies do not comply with allergen requirements

25 May 2022

Most companies in retail, trade and catering do not properly inform customers about which allergens are contained in the food or dish. This is shown by data from the NVWA. In 2021, the NVWA inspected more than 5,000 busi...

Inflation blocks sustainability in food sector

24 May 2022

In the coming years, food companies must do more to improve working conditions in international supply chains and to limit environmental damage, due to legislation. At the same time, there is a lot of pressure from custo...

Suspension of EU import duties on Ukrainian exports

19 May 2022

The International Trade Committee gave their green light on Monday 16 May for a one-year suspension of all EU import duties on Ukrainian exports to support the country’s economy. The measures adopted include the full rem...

Zero VAT on fruit and vegetables delayed

17 May 2022

The coalition agreement includes a review of how the VAT on fruit and vegetables can eventually be reduced to 0%. The Cabinet is currently working on the details of this agreement. However, it is not possible to arrange ...

Dutch parliament does not want a meat tax

11 May 2022

On Tuesday 10 May 2022, a majority in the Lower House supported a motion by the PVV asking the government not to implement a meat tax. Minister Staghouwer of LNV informed the House in March that he was considering a s...

An end to misleading discounting

03 May 2022

Misleading consumers with false price reductions is a persistent phenomenon both online and in physical shops. The Council of Ministers has agreed to a proposal from Minister Micky Adriaansens of Economic Affairs and Cli...

Fooditive wants Novel Food permit for sweetener

15 April 2022

Fooditive, a pioneer in the development of vegetable ingredients, is preparing for a gamechanger in the industry: a Novel Food permit from the Europian Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for its sweetener. The Dutch company ha...

Contracts must comply with Unfair Commercial Practices Act

13 April 2022

The Unfair Commercial Practices Act for the agricultural and food supply chain specifies which unfair commercial practices between supplier and buyer are prohibited. And which practices are allowed if these have been agr...

Socially responsible production obligatory in Germany

24 March 2022

In 2021, a German duty of care law on supply chains came into force, which will make socially responsible production obligatory. This also applies to food and other products in the agri-food sector, and applies to both t...

NVWA publishes Handbook Nutrition and Health Claims

23 March 2022

The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) has published a Handbook on Nutrition and Health Claims. Claims can be found on food labels, but also in leaflets, on websites and in (social) media. Claims, in...

Payment term to SMEs shortened to 30 days

21 March 2022

The bill to reduce the maximum statutory payment period of large companies to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from 60 to 30 days was adopted by the House of Representatives on 15 March 2022. This will halve the...

Liability of carriers in case of food safety violations

07 March 2022

If foodstuffs or ingredients become contaminated or polluted during transport, this is called cargo damage. It opens the door to compensation within the system of the CMR Convention. However, a well-founded 'fear of loss...

Third insect approved as food

14 February 2022

On 10 February 2022, the European Commission has authorised the placing on the market of a third insect, Acheta domesticus (house cricket), as a food. The term ‘house cricket’ refers to the adult of Acheta domesticus,...