Original article is available in Dutch . Here is the translation in English.:

1 billion euros worth of foodstuffs thrown away
(NRC, 13  June 2005)

Enterprises and consumers throw away about 1 billion euros worth of fresh products annually because of shrinkage/wastage, for example, involving foodstuffs with expired consumption dates. This amounts to 35 per cent of the total turnover of fresh products, according to statistics from the AKK Foundation, working in cooperation with Wageningen University & Research Centre (Agrotechnology & Food Innovations).

Their research reveals that the total amount of foodstuffs thrown away is one million cubic metres, an amount that can completely fill 500 supermarkets per year. Most of these (20 to 25 per cent) are thrown away by producers and suppliers.

The affected products in this case are products written off due to damage during transport. A bad harvest can also lead to shrinkage. The retailer himself is responsible for 2 to 6 per cent of products thrown away.

The consumer is also responsible for much discarded foodstuffs; each Dutch consumer throws away an average of 135 kilogrames annually.

Not all unsold foodstuffs are thrown away. A part finds its way to charitable organisations for the homeless and low income groups. Another part is processed into animal feed. The rules regarding the latter have become stricter in the aftermath of the outbreak of BSE and mouth-and-foot diseases in animals.

The researchers claim that much shrinkage, such as in the case of meat, can be reduced by using better packaging.