Centraal Bureau Levensmiddelenhandel

What Centraal Bureau Levensmiddelenhandel does

Centraal Bureau Levensmiddelenhandel (CBL) is the Dutch branch organization (branchevereniging) representing 25 member supermarket and foodservice companies in the Netherlands. Its 25 members collectively operate more than 6,000 stores, employ over 350,000 people, serve approximately 4 million consumers daily, and contribute over 10% of Dutch GNP through the food retail sector. CBL is headquartered in Leidschendam and operates with approximately 10 employees under the leadership of algemeen directeur Marc Jansen (since January 2024) and incoming voorzitter Erik-Jan Mares (effective September 2026, succeeding Bert Roetert after his fifteen-year tenure).

CBL's core function is collective representation and advocacy rather than product development. It generates revenue through recurring membership fees and deploys those resources across five thematic workstreams: gezondheid (health), voedselveiligheid (food safety), duurzaamheid (sustainability), medewerkers en arbeidsmarkt (employees and labor market), and markt en keten (market and supply chain). Its deliverables include policy position papers, annual monitoring reports (notably food waste tracking with Wageningen University & Research showing a 34-35% reduction between 2018-2023), the NIX Challenge compliance training program, the annual Chefs Table industry dinner, and direct engagement with Dutch and EU institutions on regulatory issues including EUDR deforestation law, the OHP Unfair Trading Practices directive, and the NIS2 cybersecurity directive. CBL's technology footprint is minimal by design — its single notable digital product is the NIX Challenge, an interactive game that uses image-based age estimation to train supermarket employees on responsible alcohol sales.

CBL's business model is a pure subscription/dues model with no transactional or product revenue. The organization represents an institutional infrastructure rather than a scalable enterprise: membership is essentially closed at 25 large enterprises covering the Dutch food retail market, headcount is intentionally lean at ~10, and growth occurs through expanding the depth of member services (research programs, coalition leadership) rather than expanding the membership base or geographic footprint.

Name

Centraal Bureau Levensmiddelenhandel

Legal name

Centraal Bureau Levensmiddelenhandel

Website

https://cbl.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Centraal Bureau Levensmiddelenhandel (CBL) is the Dutch trade association representing 25 supermarket and foodservice member companies that collectively operate 6,000+ stores, employ 350,000+ people, and serve 4 million daily consumers. CBL advocates for the sector on health, sustainability, food safety, labor, and supply chain policy with national and EU institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Leidschendam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: CBL generates revenue through membership fees from its 25 member supermarkets and foodservice companies. The association uses these funds to advocate for members' interests, coordinate industry initiatives, and engage with policymakers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CBL is the branch organization (trade association) for Dutch supermarkets and foodservice companies, representing 25 member companies that operate over 6,000 stores serving 4 million consumers daily. The association provides collective policy advocacy at national and EU levels, coordinates industry-wide sustainability and health initiatives (including food waste reduction and protein transition), conducts research partnerships with academic institutions, and runs member programs such as the NIX Challenge alcohol compliance training.

Product overview

CBL (Centraal Bureau Levensmiddelenhandel) is a Dutch trade association (branchevereniging) for supermarkets and foodservice companies, not a technology product company. CBL's services consist of advocacy representation, research publications, monitoring programs, and industry events. Key offerings include the NIX Challenge (alcohol compliance training program), the Dashboard Schijf van Vijf (health monitoring), Zichtboek Eiwittransitie (protein transition report), annual food waste monitoring research, and the Chefs Table annual industry dinner. These programs support member supermarkets in areas of compliance, sustainability, health, and industry collaboration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NIX Challenge Interactive mobile/web training program for supermarket employees to practice age estimation for alcohol sales compliance. Employees swipe through photos to assess whether customers appear under 25 and need to show ID, helping reduce illegal alcohol sales to minors under the NIX18 campaign.
• Voedselverspilling Monitoring (Food Waste Monitoring) Annual research program monitoring food waste in Dutch supermarkets, conducted by Wageningen University & Research (WUR), providing detailed breakdowns by product category including bread, meat, dairy, and produce. Tracks industry-wide reduction progress (0.89% of purchase volume in 2023, a 35% reduction since 2018).

Quantifiable outcome

• Food waste reduction of 34-35% in supermarkets between 2018-2023
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• Convenant Dierwaardige VeehouderijcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2025CBL signed the Animal-Worthy Livestock Farming Covenant as one of the first branches, committing to improved animal welfare standards for meat, eggs, and dairy production.
• Wageningen University & Research (WUR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term research partnership conducting annual food waste monitoring for Dutch supermarkets. WUR performs the monitoring research on food waste in retail, commissioned by Samen Tegen Voedselverspilling and CBL. Also partners on five-year scientific research program 'Transparant, gezond en duurzaam' (Transparent, healthy and sustainable).
• Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (RUG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in the five-year public-private research collaboration 'Transparant, gezond en duurzaam' focused on consumer behavior, transparency, and healthier/sustainable food choices.
• Samen Tegen VoedselverspillingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation coordinating national efforts to reduce food waste. CBL participates in annual food waste monitoring and supports the Verspillingsvrije Week (Food Waste-Free Week), opened by Queen Máxima.
• Ministerie van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport (VWS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on health initiatives including Schijf van Vijf dashboard, NAPV monitor, and National Prevention Strategy for healthier food choices.
• Dierenbescherming (Animal Protection)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on animal welfare initiatives and sustainable supply chain partnerships, including discussions during work visits with policymakers.
• Wereld Natuur Fonds (WNF)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in sustainable supply chain discussions, particularly regarding sustainability certification and environmental impact reduction.
• Green Protein AlliancesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance focused on protein transition from animal to plant-based foods. CBL maintains regular contact to exchange knowledge on protein transition.
• Transitiecoalitie VoedselsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood transition coalition working on sustainable food systems. Regular knowledge exchange on food transition topics.
• Topsector Agri&FoodcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic-private partnership under which the five-year 'Transparant, gezond en duurzaam' research program was conducted, with CBL as private partner.
• EuroCommercecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean retail and wholesale trade association through which CBL provides input on EU retail policy, participated in European Retail & Wholesale Week in European Parliament.
• Coalitie HoudbaarheidcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition working to clarify expiration date communication (THT/TGT) on packaging to reduce consumer food waste. CBL members implement icons and communication on private label products.
• Albert Heijn, Jumbo, Lidl, Dirk, DekaMarktcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor supermarket chains participating in Coalitie Houdbaarheid, implementing improved expiration date labeling (THT/TGT icons) on at least 50% of private label products.
• Koninklijke INretailcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint initiatives including Huurdersvariant rental contract for retail, position papers on aggression and violence in retail, and Retail Inspiratiedocument Duurzaamheid.
• Raad Nederlandse Detailhandel (RND)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on retail sector issues including position paper on aggression and violence, rental contracts, and sustainability initiatives.
• MKB-NederlandsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on coalition Steun Onze Grensregio's addressing border region competitiveness, including petition to parliament on harmonizing excise duties and VAT.
• NIX18 CampagnecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational campaign against alcohol sales to minors. CBL coordinates the annual NIX Challenge competition for supermarket employees to promote compliance with age restrictions.
• ProVegminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization working on plant-based food transition. Regular contact for knowledge exchange on protein transition.
• QuestionmarkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch organization on protein transition topics. Regular contact for knowledge exchange.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• EuroCommerce: European-level trade association for the retail and wholesale sector, of which CBL is a member. EuroCommerce provides the same advocacy, policy coordination, and EU regulatory representation that CBL provides at the Dutch national level, making it a direct functional peer across geographies.
• FNLI (Federatie Nederlandse Levensmiddelen Industrie): Dutch trade association for food and beverage manufacturers, comparable to CBL in mission and structure. FNLI represents the upstream food industry counterpart to CBL's supermarket and foodservice members, and both organizations collaborate on overlapping issues like sustainability, health, and supply chain policy.
• Koninklijke INretail: Dutch trade association for non-food retailers (fashion, lifestyle, sports), listed as a CBL partner. INretail performs the same trade association role as CBL but for adjacent retail verticals, often co-signing position papers on retail labor, real estate, and sustainability.
• Raad Nederlandse Detailhandel (RND): Council of Dutch retail associations coordinating retail-sector-wide issues including aggression in retail, rental contracts, and sustainability. RND is a close collaborator and structurally analogous umbrella body covering the same kind of advocacy CBL performs for the food retail segment.
• Koninklijke Horeca Nederland (KHN): Dutch trade association for the hospitality industry (restaurants, cafés, hotels). KHN represents a foodservice and hospitality constituency that partially overlaps with CBL's foodservice members, performing the same collective advocacy and labor-market representation role for a related vertical.
• MKB-Nederland: Largest Dutch trade association for small and medium-sized enterprises. MKB-Nederland is a direct CBL partner on border-region competitiveness and represents a comparable membership-based advocacy model, albeit across the full SME economy rather than the food retail sector.
• VNO-NCW: Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers, the largest Dutch employers' federation. VNO-NCW represents the broader umbrella under which many sector associations operate and performs comparable policy advocacy and labor-market representation at the cross-sectoral level.

Regional players

• Bundesverband des Deutschen Lebensmittelhandels (BVLH): German trade association for the food retail sector, performing the same supermarket and foodservice advocacy role as CBL but in Germany. It is the closest geographic peer in terms of mandate, though it does not compete for Dutch membership.
• Consumer Brands Association (formerly GMA): U.S. trade association representing food, beverage, and consumer products manufacturers and retailers. Performs a structurally analogous trade-association advocacy function across food policy, supply chain, and regulatory issues, but in the U.S. market rather than Europe.

Broad incumbents

• FoodDrinkEurope: European food and drink industry confederation representing manufacturers and brand-owners across the EU. Comparable to CBL in advocacy structure and EU-level regulatory engagement, but focused on the manufacturing side of the food value chain rather than retail.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cblnieuws
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cbl-centraal-bureau-levensmiddelenhandel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Centraal Bureau Levensmiddelenhandel