The Netherlands aims to take the lead in the international ambition for a healthy, sustainable and safe dietary pattern.

There has been an ongoing outbreak of Salmonella enteritidis in Europe since 2015. It has also been present in the Netherlands since May 2016.

New research by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) shows it is safe for people to play sports on synthetic turf fields with an infill of rubber granulate.

RIVM has started to take samples of rubber granulate from 100 synthetic turf fields in the Netherlands.

Last winter season, the duration and severity of the influenza epidemic was moderate compared to previous years.

Almost one third (30%) of all deaths from foodborne diseases are in children under the age of five years, despite the fact that they make up only 9% of the global population.

In 2014, fewer outbreaks of food-borne infections and food poisoning occurred in relation to previous years.

The flu epidemic in the winter of 2014 / 2015 lasted 21 weeks and as such was the longest epidemic ever recorded in the Netherlands. Nearly two million people suffered from flu-like symptoms.

In 2014, 53% of people between the ages of 12 and 80 in the Netherlands participate in some type of sport weekly.

RIVM researchers Arie Havelaar and Arno Swart received the prestigious Best Paper Award 2014 of the Society for Risk Analysis.