The average individual in the Netherlands continues to discard 33.4 kilograms of food annually, as reported by the Together Against Food Waste Foundation.
A significant portion of this waste is attributed to people's lack of knowledge regarding proper food storage. However, the catering sector has succeeded in reducing its food waste by 9.2 percent compared to 2019, according to Rabobank.
Consumers bear responsibility for 30 to 35 percent of food waste in the Netherlands, which has detrimental effects on both their finances and the environment. Disposing of uneaten food costs an average Dutch household approximately 400 euros annually, and it also contributes to climate change. Toine Timmermans of the Together Against Food Waste Foundation revealed that "eight to ten percent of the greenhouse gases emitted worldwide are linked to food we do not eat."
While residents of the Netherlands have already made significant progress in reducing food waste, there is still room for improvement. A few years ago, the average food waste per person per year was around 50 kilograms.
According to Timmermans, most people are aware of the need to reduce food waste, but implementing this knowledge is the challenge. Bread is the most frequently wasted item, with 92 percent of Dutch people expressing a desire to waste less bread. Timmermans stated, "We also know what to do: eat sandwiches and make toasties from stale bread. But actually doing it, people need some more help with that."
To address this issue, the Nutrition Center is launching a campaign to educate people on how to store their food more effectively. This initiative includes a refrigerator sticker indicating which everyday products should be stored in the fridge and which should be kept at room temperature. For instance, tomatoes and cucumbers should be stored outside the fridge, while eggs should be refrigerated.
Catering Sector In recent years, the catering sector has made notable progress in reducing food waste. This year, the sector discarded 5 million kilograms less food than in 2019, marking a decrease of 9.2 percent. Nonetheless, 55.4 million kilograms of food still end up in the trash each year, according to research by Rabobank. Jos Klerx of Rabobank noted that "catering entrepreneurs are on the right track," especially hotels, which have significantly reduced waste. However, restaurants still have room for improvement.
Rabobank researchers attribute the recent decline in food waste to the high costs in recent years, which prompted entrepreneurs to find ways to reduce waste and save money. The food discarded each year still holds an estimated value of approximately 647 million euros. Photo by OpenIDUser2, Wikimedia commons.