Food waste reduction initiatives launched in Belgium and the Netherlands

In Flanders, OVAM has launched the “Ga ik ’t eten, of vergeten?” (Will I eat it, or forget it?) campaign to combat household food waste. Partnering with Carrefour, De Kostwinners, and Promojagers, the initiative encourages consumers to make conscious decisions at the point of purchase. Statistics from OVAM indicate that Flemish households discard over 205,000 tons of edible food annually, averaging 68.4 kilograms per family, which equates to an estimated annual loss of 375 euros per household.

Simultaneously, in the Netherlands, Wageningen Food & Biobased Research and InstockMarket have developed a new calculation model to quantify the climate benefits of rescued food. This model allows hospitality and foodservice companies to measure the CO2 equivalent (CO2e) savings achieved by using rescued products rather than regular ones. For example, using rescued zucchini can result in a 65% reduction in CO2e compared to standard products. This tool enables businesses to provide concrete data for sustainability reporting in line with international Greenhouse Gas Protocol standards.