Food & beverages for human consumption

To ensure that all food and beverages on our platform are safe and that there are no health risks for our customers, you must comply with the legal requirements and regulations. This applies to all consumer target groups.

Which items do we allow?

• Foodstuffs that can be kept for at least 100 days after arrival at our customers;
• Foodstuffs for which a suitable product category is available;
• The mandatory food information must be clearly displayed on the label in the language of the country in which it’s sold. This means Dutch (at least) for items for the Dutch market and French and Dutch for items intended for the Belgian market.

Which items don’t we allow?

• Store brand items from other supermarkets. This includes, for example, items from Albert Heijn’s store brand;
• Foodstuffs that must be chilled or frozen;
• Fresh or dried animal products intended for human consumption;
• Food packaging that doesn’t clearly state what it contains;
• Food and beverages that contain CBD. CBD is only allowed as a supplement. See the CBD policy for more information;
• Alcoholic beverages with an alcohol percentage higher than 1.2%. See the Alcoholic beverage policy for more information;
• Items with poorly substantiated product claims that don’t fit in with our policy regarding product claims.

Legal obligations

In addition to the above guidelines that apply on our platform when selling food, you must also be aware of the legal requirements that you must meet. Pay close attention to the following:

• The GTIN/EAN of the item must be registered with GS1. The label information must also be available in a GS1 GDSN data pool: GS1 Data Source (Netherlands) or GS1 My Product Manager (Belgium). For more information, please go to our page at GS1 Netherlands or here at GS1 Belgium.
• For items with animal-based ingredients, the manufacturer must be registered as a food company in the EU (issued by NVWA in the Netherlands or FAVV in Belgium);
• Foodstuffs from outside the EU must also be available in a GS1 GDSN data pool and must meet the conditions for imported items from outside the EU. You can find more information here;
• Only approved additives may be used in the items. You can find more information from the NVWA here.
• As an entrepreneur, you must be registered with the NVWA as a food business operator with the correct activities you carry out, so that the NVWA knows you are active as a partner and can perform inspections if necessary.

Production safety

It’s our job to keep bol and all items sold here safe. To confirm that your items comply with the guidelines and that you aren’t committing food fraud, we may request production documentation. In that case, you’ll need to prove that you comply with the ‘Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points’ (HACCP), such as the food safety plan and hygiene regulations of the manufacturer. By adhering to the HACCP, you ensure that food is handled in a careful and safe manner. As soon as there’s a serious suspicion that items pose a danger to our customers, we may take them (temporarily) offline while we assess the (possibly) dangerous items.

Food supplements

Food supplements are only allowed if they comply with the above rules and regulations. In addition, there are a couple of extra requirements:

• Only the agreed amount of certain food supplements may be present in food and beverages. If the agreed-upon amount is exceeded, an item may be considered a medicine. This also applies to food and beverages for specific consumer target groups, such as babies and toddlers, people with an allergy or an illness, and people who are losing weight. Here, stricter rules apply to the permitted amount of certain food supplements for these.
• Please note: it’s prohibited to state – on the label, on the packaging, or in advertising – that the food supplement prevents, treats, or cures an illness.

Bulk packs?

Make sure this is clear to the customer. For example, by showing the item in bulk packaging in the main image and clearly naming it ‘multipack’ or ‘bulk packaging’ in the item title. Also ensure that you fill in the ‘Packaging level’ attribute and that you use the official EAN that belongs to the bulk packaging (as registered with GS1).