Commodities Act: safety rules for products
Do you produce, prepare, or trade in food or other products in the Netherlands? Then you must comply with the Commodities Act (Warenwet).
What does the Commodities Act say?
The Commodities Act (in Dutch) applies to all products traded on the Dutch market, both food and non-food. Non-food products are also called consumer products. The Commodities Act is a framework act that provides general rules on:
- the general safety of consumer products and foodstuffs
- providing clear information on products
- fair trade
The rules of the Commodities are further detailed in the Commodities Act decrees. These contain rules for specific foods and consumer products, for example:
Safety inspections
There are 5 product safety regulators in the Netherlands:
- The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA)
- The Netherlands Labor Authority (NLA)
- The Dutch Authority for Digital Infrastructure (RDI)
- The Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT)
- The Health and Youth Care Inspectorate (IGJ)
Each has its own area of expertise. For example, NVWA is responsible for monitoring food safety and general product safety. And the Dutch Labour Inspectorate (NLA) supervises personal protective equipment. If necessary, these authorities can take measures such as issue warnings, impose fines, or remove products from shops (recall) in case a product does not meet the requirements.
Report unsafe products
Have you placed a product on the market or offered it for sale and discovered that it is a dangerous product? Then you are required to report this. Failing to report unsafe products is a violation.
Not sure which authority to report to? The Dutch-language Product Reporting Guide (productenmeldwijzer) will direct you to the appropriate authority.
You must also immediately report unsafe consumer products (non-food) via Business Gateway.
The NVWA is responsible for food safety. You must therefore report any unsafe food to the NVWA (in Dutch).