Belgium meal voucher usage and labor negotiations

In Belgium, the use of meal vouchers as an extra-legal benefit has seen significant growth. Data from SD Worx indicates that 71% of private sector workers benefit from meal vouchers as of late 2025, up from 50% in 2019. Major providers include Pluxee, which covers over 100,000 merchants, Edenred, and Monizze, which focuses on a network of approximately 80,000 local points of acceptance.

Parallel to the expansion of these benefits, employers in the gas and electricity sector, represented by Gazelco, are seeking further social programming negotiations for the 2025-2026 period. Despite the recent increase in meal vouchers, employers are proposing additional improvements, such as increasing tax-free bicycle allowances to 0.37 euro per kilometer and adjusting year-end bonuses for employees under newer labor conditions. Discussions regarding hospitalization insurance for those losing disability allowances and the implementation of flex-jobs are also on the agenda, with further negotiations scheduled for September 2026.