Reducing drinking water use in the Food Industry

Drinking water is no longer a given

The availability of drinking water in the Netherlands is under pressure. Where clean and sufficient drinking water used to be taken for granted, this is increasingly no longer the case.

According to the Netherlands Court of Audit, by 2030 an additional 102 million m³ of drinking water will be needed compared to 2020. Since 2022, dozens of corporate water supply requests have already been denied. Consumption is rising, especially in industrial sectors such as the food industry, bringing increased risk.

Drinking water is no longer guaranteed

The Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management has warned that without significant savings and other measures, shortages in the drinking water supply are inevitable. In some regions, new business connections are no longer being provided. At the same time, there is insufficient insight into how much water companies use and for what purposes.

What does this mean for your organization? It’s important to know that companies have no legal right to drinking water for industrial use. The government is critically evaluating major users and encouraging alternative sources and more efficient usage wherever possible.

As a food processing company, you likely use large quantities of water for cleaning, rinsing, and cooling, among other things. But how future-proof is your process?

Keep this in mind, because it directly affects your production process.