Sustainability

New emissions rules for pig and poultry farms

The European Commission adopted common emissions rules for large pig and poultry farms. Animal nutrition, manure management, and housing are central to the new requirements. These aim to reduce emissions and cut unnecess..

Multi-million investment in Solynta’s disease-resistant potato seed

21 July 2025

Not tubers, but seed. With that shift, Solynta is turning potato cultivation on its head. The Wageningen-based biotech company is receiving €20 million from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to accelerate development of...

Lidl significantly expands legume range

21 July 2025

Starting July 21, legumes will take up more shelf space at Lidl. Eleven new products will be introduced, including dried lentils, canned chili beans, and a veggie bowl with red beans, quinoa, and wholegrain rice. With th...

€15 million invested in rural innovation

18 July 2025

This is where innovation happens: right there on the farm. In the greenhouse. Or out in the field. This month, three experimental sites have officially launched, where farmers, growers and researchers team up to test wha...

Deposit system needs to be more user-friendly

16 July 2025

Most Dutch people do their part when it comes to returning deposit packaging. Bottles, crates, cans – straight back to the store. Still, it doesn’t always go as smoothly as it sounds. Especially when it comes to cans, th...

Circular soup packaging close to production

16 July 2025

Selling soup often means dealing with complex packaging. Not because of its shape, but because of the materials involved. Multiple layers of plastic, aluminium and foil—necessary for flavour, shelf life and sterilisation...

Promising enzyme helps bacteria break down plastic

15 July 2025

Plastic that naturally breaks down in the environment—still sounds like science fiction. But progress is being made. Researchers in Leiden have identified an enzyme that enables bacteria not only to break down PET plasti...

First seaweed harvest within wind farm completed

14 July 2025

A floating net strung between wind turbines delivered a milestone this week. The very first commercial seaweed harvest within an offshore wind farm has been collected at North Sea Farm 1, located 18 kilometres off the co...

Can the food industry save the recycling chain?

11 July 2025

The Dutch recycling sector is under pressure, but the food industry is stepping up. Twenty major brands – including Unilever, Coca-Cola, Nestlé, and FrieslandCampina – have committed to increasing their use of circular p...

Grid congestion slows electrification for food companies

10 July 2025

The food industry needs to move away from natural gas faster to significantly reduce its CO₂ emissions. Solar panels and wind farms alone won’t cut it. The electricity grid is overloaded, and many production processes ar...

Partnership RVO and ROMs: improved support for innovative SMEs

10 July 2025

Good news for startups, scale-ups and innovative SMEs: the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and the regional development agencies (ROMs) are expanding their partnership. The goal? To support entrepreneurs more quickly...

New lab, new opportunities: NutriControl expands significantly

09 July 2025

They’ve got it: the keys to their brand-new premises on De Amert in Veghel. NutriControl, the go-to lab for food analysis and food safety for over 50 years, is about to take a major step forward. Growth, innovation, mome...

Local food? A great idea (on paper)

07 July 2025

Getting your groceries straight from a nearby farm, who wouldn’t want that? Less transport, fairer prices for farmers, shorter supply chains. Governments have been trying to promote it for years. Still, making local food...

What do you really need to know about the EUDR?

01 July 2025

The European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) calls for a new approach in the food supply chain. Not just producers, but every link leading to the European market will soon need to demonstrably meet strict due diligence r...

Save up to 60 cents per kilo of plastic: here’s how

30 June 2025

Verpact has launched a free e-learning course for producers and importers looking to make their plastic packaging more sustainable. In just 25 minutes, participants learn how to apply for a discount on easily recyclable ...

Parliament calls for swift end to CO₂ tax on industry

26 June 2025

The Dutch House of Representatives wants to abolish the national CO₂ tax on industry. According to a motion that has been adopted, the measure creates an uneven playing field across Europe and lacks the necessary conditi...