Food bank use in Netherlands jumps 7.5% to 155,600 amid rising cost of living

The number of people using food banks in the Netherlands rose last year to 155,600, up from 144,750 in 2024, an increase of about 7.5 percent. A year earlier, usage had declined.

Voedselbanken Nederland said more people are relying on food aid for longer periods, even though the support is intended to be short-term. "The principle is that this help is temporary: a short period of support so people can continue independently," the organization said.

The group noted that more pensioners without supplementary pensions, self-employed workers, and other employed people who cannot make ends meet are seeking assistance.

Henk Staghouwer, chairman of Voedselbanken Nederland, expressed concern over the new government’s social security and healthcare plans. "More people will have difficulty making ends meet because their benefits will be reduced or because they will spend much more on healthcare costs. We fear that during the coming cabinet period, poverty in the Netherlands will rise further as a result, and even more people will have to rely on food aid," he said.

Labor unions CNV and FNV have warned that proposed changes to unemployment benefits could worsen financial strain for many workers. Under the Jetten I Cabinet plan, the duration of unemployment benefits would drop from two years to one, while the first two months of payments would rise from 75 to 80 percent of previous wages, then fall to 70 percent.

In February, Voedselbanken Nederland sent a letter to all party leaders in the Tweede Kamer, requesting a poverty policy that does not focus solely on labor participation and pays more attention to vulnerable groups.