TRENDS

Plant-based eating: half of Dutch people need help

Swapping ground meat for lentils, or cow’s milk for a plant-based alternative. Through small swaps like these, Wissel ’ns Wat! aims to encourage Dutch people to eat plant-based foods more often. The approach focuses on o..

Supermarkets scaling back on meat promotions

17 July 2025

Less meat promotions in the weekly leaflet? That’s right. In the first half of 2025, supermarkets ran 7 percent fewer meat promotions compared to the same period last year. According to Wakker Dier, it’s the second conse...

World Fruit Map: shifting supply and trade dynamics

16 July 2025

The fruit sector is on the move, and not just a little. The latest World Fruit Map from RaboResearch highlights rising prices, shifting supply, and changing trade routes. Europe and the US are becoming increasingly relia...

Ultra-processed foods aren’t necessarily fattening

14 July 2025

Ultra-processed food? It’s quickly dismissed. Unhealthy, people say. Fattening too. But that image isn’t as black-and-white as often assumed, according to research from Wageningen University & Research (WUR). It’s not ju...

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...

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...

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...

Facts over fiction: new reference guide on E numbers

07 July 2025

Folkert Fennema, owner of Fennema Food Development, has launched Het complete E-nummer handboek – Van E tot Z. The guide brings together current, factual information on E numbers for professionals in the food industry. T...

Stricter NVWA oversight on animal welfare and pesticides

04 July 2025

In 2024, the NVWA had its hands full with animal health and welfare. About 8% of its total capacity went toward animal diseases, and 9% was allocated to welfare. Inspectors carried out 3,755 checks related to animal heal...

Veggies First aims to put vegetables first

04 July 2025

The international movement Veggies First was recently launched in the Netherlands. Its goal is to make vegetables a natural, visible, and appealing part of everyday life. The initiative focuses on Generation Z and younge...

Global instability weighs on poultry trade outlook

03 July 2025

The global poultry industry got off to a strong start in 2025. The market was supported by firm animal protein prices and lower feed costs compared to last year. But that stability is proving short-lived: bird flu outbre...

Food exports to Germany: big market, high expectations

02 July 2025

For Dutch food companies looking to grow, Germany is a logical next step. With 84 million inhabitants, the country holds plenty of potential. Sometimes, landing a listing with a single supermarket chain can already gener...

Wiersma: Food is the foundation of everything

02 July 2025

A crate filled with Dutch products was presented to Minister of Agriculture Femke Wiersma as a welcome gift during the third edition of NLvoedt, held on 1 July at Nieuwspoort. The event marked the end of the political se...

Consumers want to eat healthy, but face key barriers

30 June 2025

Healthy eating ranks high on the list for many Dutch consumers. Still, lasting changes in behaviour remain elusive. Research by Panelwizard, commissioned by ABN AMRO, shows that people face several obstacles. Price, conv...

Young talent shaping a future-proof food system

27 June 2025

Students from Inholland and Vonk presented their innovative food concepts during the recent FICA Summer Event in Delft. The annual gathering brought together bachelor and vocational students, researchers and food profess...