Food Supply Chain in 2025: Trust as a Critical Success Factor
Utrecht, dinsdag, 17 juni 2025.
Rabobank experts Martijn Rol and Sebastiaan Schreijen reveal the critical dynamics in retail collaboration. The food supply chain is under unprecedented pressure from ongoing consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and international conflicts. The central challenge: transforming short-term thinking into strategic, transparent collaboration between retailers and suppliers. Trust and ‘headache reduction’ become key competencies. Price negotiations are under extreme tension, with significant margin pressure for both parties. Sustainability emerges as a third critical factor, with 97% of sustainability impact lying with suppliers. The message is clear: collaboration is no longer a choice, but pure necessity for survival in a turbulent market.
Strategic Collaboration in the Food Chain
The food chain in 2025 is characterised by a necessity for more intensive collaboration between retailers and suppliers. Rabobank experts signal that trust and ‘headache reduction’ are central to mutual relationships. Sebastiaan Schreijen, senior analyst of Consumer Foods, emphasises that price negotiations are under extreme tension, with significant margin pressure for both parties [1].
Sustainability as a Critical Factor
Sustainability proves to be a decisive factor in retail collaboration. Notably, 97 percent of sustainability impact lies with suppliers. Supermarkets are increasingly focusing on unique, exclusive trade flows with farmers meeting specific sustainability standards. Concrete examples include programmes like ‘Better for Nature & Farmer’ from Albert Heijn and Jumbo’s edamame beans from Dutch soil [1].
Long-Term Perspective
Martijn Rol, Food Sector Manager at Rabobank, points to the importance of long-term investments throughout the chain. As an example, he cites the recently announced five-year collaboration between McDonald’s, Farm Frites, and Rabobank for more sustainable potato cultivation. The experts emphasise the necessity of moving away from short-term thinking that affects the entire sector [1].
Challenges in the Food Supply Chain
The ongoing consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and international conflicts have put pressure on the food supply chain. There is a time delay between cost increases and final prices in supermarkets, influenced by factors such as collective labour agreement wage increases and real estate costs. Moreover, the discussion around geofencing - virtual ‘fences’ that create barriers to purchasing cheaper products abroad - continues [1].