Dutch food safety is high, but opportunities for food fraud increase

Generally speaking, food in the Netherlands is safe. This is in part thanks to the legislative system, the compliance of businesses and supervision by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit, NVWA). However, the number of food fraud cases is on the rise, while new developments such as the reuse of products pose new food safety risks. This analysis emerges from the first report that the NVWA has published on the subject of food safety: the Food Safety Statement (Staat van voedselveiligheid).

The overview provided in the aforementioned report, which is based on NVWA figures from 2015 and 2016, paints a picture of food safety in the final links of the food supply chain and include businesses that import, produce, transport, sell and serve foodstuffs in the Netherlands.