For the first time, Dutch cheese producers have jointly recorded their food losses. CONO, Uniekaas/DOC Kaas, Royal Lactalis Leerdammer, Vandersterre and Velder took part in this first survey, an initiative of the ‘Samen tegen voedselverspilling’ (Together Against Food Waste) Foundation and Wageningen University & Research. The results show that waste in cheese production is low.

As the participating companies represent different stages of the cheese-making process, several key figures were calculated: in the cheese dairy, the average loss is 0.3 per cent; during maturation, it is less than 0.01 per cent; and during further processing, it is 1.1 per cent. A common, standardised measurement method provides a reliable benchmark against which companies can compare their own figures and identify where further action is needed.

Together, the five participants in the pilot project account for 20 per cent of Dutch cheese production. This monitor therefore provides a good initial insight into how the cheese industry manages raw materials and waste streams. A key reason for the low level of waste is: whey, the largest residual stream in cheese production, is put to good use by the participating companies, and cheese by-products are often reused as litter, processed cheese or animal feed.

The Cheese Monitor is a starting point. Next autumn, the study will be extended to other dairy products in order to obtain a more complete picture of food losses across the entire dairy sector.