Food loss and waste prevention
- Toine Timmermans
- Program manager sustainable food chains
“Research conducted by WUR provides data and insights on which reduction strategies are based.”
More than a hundred stakeholders work together in the foundation United Against Food Waste to reduce food waste. Wageningen University & Research (WUR) contributes with research, analyses and evaluations.
In the Netherlands, we waste 1.6 billion kilograms of food every year. Food is lost at every stage of the chain – from the field to processing, to the supermarket, to the consumer's plate. This is due to factors such as quality controls, stock management, purchasing habits and consumption patterns.
WUR has been conducting research into food waste and solutions to combat it for many years.
In order to put these solutions into practice, cooperation throughout the chain is essential. That is why the United Against Food Waste foundation (Samen tegen Voedselverspilling) was established. It brings together companies, farmers, governments, knowledge institutions and social organisations. The more than 100 participating stakeholders include Unilever, Albert Heijn, Jumbo, Lidl, Sligro, ABN AMRO and the Netherlands Nutrition Centre (Voedingscentrum). The goal: to halve food waste in the Netherlands by 2030. This ambition is in line with Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 of the United Nations, to which the Netherlands and the EU have committed themselves.
Monitor Food Waste
To realise this ambition, WUR conducts various studies, analyses and evaluations. WUR has a track record in developing databases, methodologies and models for measuring food waste. One of these is the Food Waste Monitor, commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. This monitor tracks the amount of food wasted in Dutch chains on an annual basis.
Recent figures show that supermarkets have successfully reduced waste to 0.89 per cent of their purchasing volume. This is a 35 per cent decrease compared to the first measurement in 2018. One of the innovations used to combat waste is the application of AI to better align supply and demand.
Templates per sector
In collaboration with the United Against Food Waste foundation, WUR has developed templates that can be used to measure food waste in a sector-specific manner throughout the entire chain. The approach is based on the proven Target-Measure-Act methodology and provides data and insights that can be used to develop reduction strategies.
In recent years, many different sectors have used these templates to map their food waste. Following the supermarkets, the potato industry, the meat sector, the fruit and vegetable trade, the bread, pastry and cake sector and corporate catering have also participated. The more sectors participate, the more the methodology is refined and the benchmark is broadened.
The templates help companies and other players to comply with EU legislation that requires them to set sustainability targets and report regularly on the impact of their activities on people and the environment.
Food Loss solutions and Residual flows
The Target-Measure-Act method also forms the framework behind www.foodloss-solutions.com, a website launched by WUR specifically for the business market, NGOs and policymakers. It contains all the information needed to tackle food waste, from various scenarios to effective strategies.
Other WUR research focuses on using residual flows from the food production process as animal feed. This involves removing practical, economic and legal barriers.
Circular food system
Combating food waste is essential to achieving a sustainable, circular food system. This means that we need to break with current trends in the way we produce and consume food.
The work of WUR and the United Against Food Waste foundation is aimed at facilitating this transition and developing a national agenda for Dutch ambitions, which can also serve as an example for a European approach.
Consumer behaviour
WUR conducts various studies in the field of consumer behaviour. For example, it has been shown that providing additional information about expiry dates makes consumers less likely to throw away products that are still usable. Research is also being conducted into the use of a time-temperature indicator (TTI), developed by Keep-it Technologies, which shows the remaining shelf life of fresh produce.
In August 2025, WUR has appointed the first professor in the field of food waste: Erica van Herpen is Personal Professor of Resource-Smart Consumer Behaviour.
Delivered impact
By giving shape to its ambitions to combat food waste through the United Against Food Waste foundation, WUR is sitting directly at the table with food producers, farmers and other stakeholders in the chains. In this way, the research ties in seamlessly with practical needs.
Together we make a difference
Questions? Ask our expert.
ir. AJM (Toine) Timmermans
Program manager sustainable food chains
Other impact stories
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) is working on the major global challenges surrounding food, biodiversity and climate. Our knowledge is put into practice by the partners we collaborate with. In in-depth impact stories, we tell you more about our research and the impact we are achieving with it.
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