European Economic
and Social Committee
LESS WASTE, LESS TO SHARE: WHY EUROPE’S FOOD BANKS NEED A NEW DEAL WITH THE FOOD CHAIN
Europe’s progress in reducing food waste is definitely good news for the climate and society. But every victory comes at a cost, and this one is paid by Europe’s food banks: at a time when demand for their services is rising, they are receiving fewer surplus food donations. The answer to this paradox is not to waste more but to stop relying on chance, writes Voedselbanken Nederland, an association of 181 independent Dutch food banks. For EESC Info, it draws on the Dutch example to outline how food surpluses can be better managed at national and European level to prevent shortages at food banks.
On 30 September, an unusual delivery arrived at the food bank in Utrecht: jars of pasta and tomato sauce made from vegetables that would otherwise have been thrown away. They were the first products from Social Food, a new initiative we launched with the Dutch foundation Samen Tegen Voedselverspilling (United Against Food Waste). In its first production run, around 18 500 kilos of surplus tomatoes and peppers were turned into 44 000 jars of sauce for more than 35 000 households.
Behind those jars lies a paradox that every food bank in Europe will soon face.
Good news with a side effect
Europe is winning the fight against food waste. In the Netherlands, food waste fell by 17% between 2015 and 2023. Supermarkets and producers plan better and discount products before the end of their shelf life. The revised EU Waste Framework Directive now sets the first binding targets for 2030: a 10% reduction in food waste from processing and manufacturing and a 30% per capita reduction in retail, restaurants and households.
This is good news for the climate and society. But food banks have always depended on surplus food. As the surplus shrinks, so does what we can share. In 2023, donations of essential products to Dutch food banks fell by 20%, and supplies have continued to fall by more than 8% a year since then. Meanwhile, demand keeps rising. Last year, our 181 food banks helped 155 600 people, 7.5% more than the year before.
Less waste must not mean less solidarity. The answer is not to waste more. The answer is to stop relying on chance.
What we have learned in the Netherlands
Dutch food banks are a citizens’ initiative. They are run by more than 14 000 volunteers, and our national network has grown from the bottom up. That independence is our strength. It has also forced us to find new answers quickly, three of which have had results:
First, turn residual streams into products. Social Food brings growers, processors and logistics partners together to turn surplus raw materials into soups, sauces and preserves that can be stored for months. It works because the whole chain is at the table. It was made possible with support from Rabobank, the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature, and the province of South Holland.
Second, donate more than leftovers. Some partners now donate part of their regular production, not only what is left over. A single vegetable producer donated 600 000 jars and bags in one year. Every store in one Dutch supermarket chain passes on products close to their expiry date to its local food bank.
Third, use public money to fill gaps, not to take control. With support from the European Social Fund Plus, the independent foundation Voedselvangnet buys products that donations no longer supply, such as long-life milk, pasta, oil and toothpaste. The food banks themselves remain independent and volunteer-run.
Food aid is not a substitute for decent incomes or good social policy. It can, however, be a stepping stone. Through our project Onder de Radar (‘Under the Radar’), we work with debt-advice organisations to reach people earlier and refer them for further support. Around 31% of the people we help no longer need a food parcel within six months, and 50% no longer need one within a year.
What Europe can do now
The food chain has become far more efficient. Solidarity must become just as deliberate. Three steps would make a real difference:
Member States: when transposing the revised Waste Framework Directive, make agreements with food banks on donations and the processing of surplus food into new products a standard part of national food-waste plans.
Businesses: donate a fixed share of regular products, raw materials or production capacity, not only surplus products nearing the end of their shelf life.
The EU: maintain recognisable support for food aid in the next long-term budget, so that food banks can buy what donations no longer cover without turning volunteer organisations into state agencies.
The problem is not a shortage of food, but how we organise its distribution.
This World Food Day, our message to Europe’s employers, workers and civil society is simple: as food waste falls, solidarity must be planned.
Voedselbanken Nederland is the association of 181 independent food banks across the Netherlands, run by more than 14 000 volunteers and supported almost entirely by private and corporate donations. In 2025, its members helped 155 600 people, while working with partners across the food chain, through initiatives such as Social Food, to turn surplus food into help for those who need it most.