Social Food starts from the products food banks need, then looks for food that would otherwise be lost, such as surplus mushrooms or tomatoes that do not meet cosmetic standards. It works with growers, producers and processors to turn these into products with a longer shelf life, which are donated to the 181 local food banks in the Netherlands. Dutch food waste has fallen by 20% since 2015, which benefits the climate but reduces the supply available to food banks, while around 1.6 billion kilos of food are still thrown away each year, of which at least 30% is estimated to be edible.

The initiative is supported by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature, the province of South Holland and private partners. It is looking for food chain businesses able to contribute surplus streams, raw materials, production capacity or expertise, as well as partners to co-finance processing.

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