Headlines December
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NVWA closes all Van Keulen bakeries due to serious hygiene problems
All 14 Brabant and Gelderland shops of Bakkerij Van Keulen have been closed immediately following a raid by the NVWA. Inspectors found several serious hygiene violations at the main bakery on Thursday. These were so serious that there was an acute danger to public health, according to the regulator. Owner Gerhard van Keulen initially spoke of technical problems at the main bakery on Friday morning and said it would reopen on Saturday.
What exactly was found, the NVWA would not say. Nor whether the bread and other products from Bakkerij Van Keulen can be eaten as normal. "It is up to consumers themselves to decide what they do with the product," says a spokeswoman. "Whether they throw it away, or return it to the bakery."
All Bakkerij Van Keulen shops are closed on Friday. The bakeries are among others in Oirschot, Den Bosch and Rosmalen. This will remain so, according to the NVWA, until the bakery business again meets the legal hygiene standards. "There will then first be another inspection by us and if everything is in order, the company will be allowed to reopen," an NVWA spokesperson stated Friday morning. Van Keulen said the company is trying to fill the bakeries again soon, but with products made by other bakers.
'Indeed such a problem'
That is a very different explanation than the company itself initially gave on Friday morning. Owner Gerhard van Keulen still told Omroep Brabant at the time that it was a 'technical malfunction in the production line'. This was also stated on notes hanging on the doors at the closed shops. "Since last night, production has been at a standstill," Van Keulen said earlier. According to the owner, the timing could hardly be worse for the bakery chain, as it is very busy right now. So he came back to that later.
After Van Keulen was confronted with the news from the NVWA, he admitted that "there is indeed such a problem in the production line in the central bakery". Bakker van Keulen is mainly located in Brabant and across the border in Gelderland. The chain has 14 bakeries in total. Gerhard van Keulen did not want to comment further on the news on Friday morning. "It sits rather high with me," he said.
Customers' reactions
Customers of the bakery, located in the Helftheuvel shopping arcade in Den Bosch, reacted to the news with surprise. "Was there a mouse in the bread then?", a passer-by wonders. A woman says: "How is it possible? He is known as a good baker, but then we will get our bread somewhere else today."
"We sometimes get pastries here. I was shocked because I thought the bakery would disappear altogether. And the range of products should be kept up to par in this mall, but it is only closed for one day," the customer quotes what is written on the door.
Source: https://www.omroepbrabant.nl/nieuws/4384331/nvwa-sluit-alle-bakkerijen-van-van-keulen-door-ernstige-hygieneproblemen
Regulator intervenes at energy supplier HEM
Supervisory Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) is intervening at energy supplier Hollandse Energie Maatschappij (HEM). The regulator demands that the company quickly get its finances and administration in order, otherwise the permit may be revoked. The ACM has established, among other things, that many customers who were entitled to a refund received their money too late. This concerns people who were still owed money after drawing up their final or annual accounts.
Tightened supervision
At the end of 2021, when energy prices were very high, several energy suppliers went bankrupt. ACM has since checked whether suppliers have purchased sufficient electricity and gas for the winter to provide all consumers with energy. Last year, ten suppliers came under increased supervision, including HEM. Now ACM is going one step further by amending HEM's permit. The company must quickly pay customers who are still owed money. The company must also demonstrate that its financial position has improved and the company has good financial forecasts. If that fails, ACM can revoke the permit. Without this permit, HEM can no longer supply energy to customers. This would mean that they would have to immediately find another energy supplier and possibly conclude contracts on worse terms.
HEM has not yet responded to the measure. The ACM previously announced that it would also like to be given the authority to impose a stop on new customers until suppliers comply with the rules again. This can prevent customers from becoming victims, as was the case with Welcome Energy, for example . At present, the supervisor can only revoke the permit.
Source: https://nos.nl/artikel/2502571-toezichthouder-grijpt-in-bij-energieleverancier-hem
Seventeen electric Qbuzz buses were unable to complete their journey due to the cold
Seventeen Qbuzz buses in Groningen and Drenthe suffered from insufficient battery power on Monday morning. Due to the cold, buses use more energy, which means the battery runs out faster.
Some of the buses were exchanged on Monday for a bus that did have a full battery, while others had to charge longer en route. Due to the change, travelers had to transfer to another bus during their journey. Qbuzz announced this after questions from RTV Noord.
Timetable based on summer consumption
After the autumn holidays, Qbuzz decided to maintain the summer holiday timetable, which was still running. "We did this because we wanted to keep the timetable as reliable as possible and prevent service cancellations due to a shortage of staff," Qbuzz wrote in a response.
However, this timetable is based on the calculated energy consumption in the summer. At lower temperatures in winter, buses use more energy, meaning the batteries run out sooner.
Bus change
Qbuzz says it has taken this into account by deploying five extra buses and extra manpower, 'to minimize the impact on travelers'. 'We see in advance whether a bus can run its service or not. If things get exciting, the bus will be exchanged for a bus with a fuller battery.'
Decreasing payload
In addition, the charging capacity of a battery increasingly decreases over the years, and the 'winter problem' for Qbuzz becomes greater. The company says it takes this into account every year when drawing up the new timetable.
The new timetable will come into effect from December 10.
Source: https://www.rtvdrenthe.nl/nieuws/16096339/zeventien-bussen-qbuzz-konden-rit-niet-uitrijden-door-kou
Carrot company VECO appears to be involved in a cartel: 1.2 million euros fine
Carrot company VECO from Creil must pay a fine of 1.2 million euros due to years of involvement in a cartel. This was reported by the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM). Fifteen years ago, the Creiler company made illegal agreements with three other companies in Roots. VECO received the highest fine for this because it had already made a mistake once before. The cartel revolved around the trade in round (Parisian) carrots and wax carrots. The companies had divided the trade accordingly, says the ACM. The agreements applied to the period 2009-2018. During that period, VECO had control over Parisian carrots, the three other parties had agreed with the Creiler company not to engage in the cultivation and processing of these carrots.
Two companies revealed the cartel.
The ACM received signals about the cartel. The companies were then raided. Two companies, not VECO, subsequently confessed to the cartel. This led to a total fine of around 2.5 million euros. The money is based on the seriousness of the offense, the duration of the cartel, the size of the companies involved and their turnover. Another factor is that two companies confessed to the cartel and all companies cooperated well, the regulator says. As a result, a discount was applied in both cases.
Previous mistake with pearl onions
VECO in Creil was also fined 10 years ago because the company had made agreements with three other companies. Then it was about the price of silverskin onions, and the companies also shared information with each other. The company was then fined more than 1.1 million euros. The Creiler company has stated that it does not wish to comment on the matter.
Source: https://www.omroepflevoland.nl/nieuws/360535/wortelbedrijf-veco-blijkt-betrokken-bij-kartel-1-2-miljoen-euro-boete
All 14 Brabant and Gelderland shops of Bakkerij Van Keulen have been closed immediately following a raid by the NVWA. Inspectors found several serious hygiene violations at the main bakery on Thursday. These were so serious that there was an acute danger to public health, according to the regulator. Owner Gerhard van Keulen initially spoke of technical problems at the main bakery on Friday morning and said it would reopen on Saturday.
What exactly was found, the NVWA would not say. Nor whether the bread and other products from Bakkerij Van Keulen can be eaten as normal. "It is up to consumers themselves to decide what they do with the product," says a spokeswoman. "Whether they throw it away, or return it to the bakery."
All Bakkerij Van Keulen shops are closed on Friday. The bakeries are among others in Oirschot, Den Bosch and Rosmalen. This will remain so, according to the NVWA, until the bakery business again meets the legal hygiene standards. "There will then first be another inspection by us and if everything is in order, the company will be allowed to reopen," an NVWA spokesperson stated Friday morning. Van Keulen said the company is trying to fill the bakeries again soon, but with products made by other bakers.
'Indeed such a problem'
That is a very different explanation than the company itself initially gave on Friday morning. Owner Gerhard van Keulen still told Omroep Brabant at the time that it was a 'technical malfunction in the production line'. This was also stated on notes hanging on the doors at the closed shops. "Since last night, production has been at a standstill," Van Keulen said earlier. According to the owner, the timing could hardly be worse for the bakery chain, as it is very busy right now. So he came back to that later.
After Van Keulen was confronted with the news from the NVWA, he admitted that "there is indeed such a problem in the production line in the central bakery". Bakker van Keulen is mainly located in Brabant and across the border in Gelderland. The chain has 14 bakeries in total. Gerhard van Keulen did not want to comment further on the news on Friday morning. "It sits rather high with me," he said.
Customers' reactions
Customers of the bakery, located in the Helftheuvel shopping arcade in Den Bosch, reacted to the news with surprise. "Was there a mouse in the bread then?", a passer-by wonders. A woman says: "How is it possible? He is known as a good baker, but then we will get our bread somewhere else today."
"We sometimes get pastries here. I was shocked because I thought the bakery would disappear altogether. And the range of products should be kept up to par in this mall, but it is only closed for one day," the customer quotes what is written on the door.
Source: https://www.omroepbrabant.nl/nieuws/4384331/nvwa-sluit-alle-bakkerijen-van-van-keulen-door-ernstige-hygieneproblemen
Regulator intervenes at energy supplier HEM
Supervisory Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) is intervening at energy supplier Hollandse Energie Maatschappij (HEM). The regulator demands that the company quickly get its finances and administration in order, otherwise the permit may be revoked. The ACM has established, among other things, that many customers who were entitled to a refund received their money too late. This concerns people who were still owed money after drawing up their final or annual accounts.
Tightened supervision
At the end of 2021, when energy prices were very high, several energy suppliers went bankrupt. ACM has since checked whether suppliers have purchased sufficient electricity and gas for the winter to provide all consumers with energy. Last year, ten suppliers came under increased supervision, including HEM. Now ACM is going one step further by amending HEM's permit. The company must quickly pay customers who are still owed money. The company must also demonstrate that its financial position has improved and the company has good financial forecasts. If that fails, ACM can revoke the permit. Without this permit, HEM can no longer supply energy to customers. This would mean that they would have to immediately find another energy supplier and possibly conclude contracts on worse terms.
HEM has not yet responded to the measure. The ACM previously announced that it would also like to be given the authority to impose a stop on new customers until suppliers comply with the rules again. This can prevent customers from becoming victims, as was the case with Welcome Energy, for example . At present, the supervisor can only revoke the permit.
Source: https://nos.nl/artikel/2502571-toezichthouder-grijpt-in-bij-energieleverancier-hem
Seventeen electric Qbuzz buses were unable to complete their journey due to the cold
Seventeen Qbuzz buses in Groningen and Drenthe suffered from insufficient battery power on Monday morning. Due to the cold, buses use more energy, which means the battery runs out faster.
Some of the buses were exchanged on Monday for a bus that did have a full battery, while others had to charge longer en route. Due to the change, travelers had to transfer to another bus during their journey. Qbuzz announced this after questions from RTV Noord.
Timetable based on summer consumption
After the autumn holidays, Qbuzz decided to maintain the summer holiday timetable, which was still running. "We did this because we wanted to keep the timetable as reliable as possible and prevent service cancellations due to a shortage of staff," Qbuzz wrote in a response.
However, this timetable is based on the calculated energy consumption in the summer. At lower temperatures in winter, buses use more energy, meaning the batteries run out sooner.
Bus change
Qbuzz says it has taken this into account by deploying five extra buses and extra manpower, 'to minimize the impact on travelers'. 'We see in advance whether a bus can run its service or not. If things get exciting, the bus will be exchanged for a bus with a fuller battery.'
Decreasing payload
In addition, the charging capacity of a battery increasingly decreases over the years, and the 'winter problem' for Qbuzz becomes greater. The company says it takes this into account every year when drawing up the new timetable.
The new timetable will come into effect from December 10.
Source: https://www.rtvdrenthe.nl/nieuws/16096339/zeventien-bussen-qbuzz-konden-rit-niet-uitrijden-door-kou
Carrot company VECO appears to be involved in a cartel: 1.2 million euros fine
Carrot company VECO from Creil must pay a fine of 1.2 million euros due to years of involvement in a cartel. This was reported by the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM). Fifteen years ago, the Creiler company made illegal agreements with three other companies in Roots. VECO received the highest fine for this because it had already made a mistake once before. The cartel revolved around the trade in round (Parisian) carrots and wax carrots. The companies had divided the trade accordingly, says the ACM. The agreements applied to the period 2009-2018. During that period, VECO had control over Parisian carrots, the three other parties had agreed with the Creiler company not to engage in the cultivation and processing of these carrots.
Two companies revealed the cartel.
The ACM received signals about the cartel. The companies were then raided. Two companies, not VECO, subsequently confessed to the cartel. This led to a total fine of around 2.5 million euros. The money is based on the seriousness of the offense, the duration of the cartel, the size of the companies involved and their turnover. Another factor is that two companies confessed to the cartel and all companies cooperated well, the regulator says. As a result, a discount was applied in both cases.
Previous mistake with pearl onions
VECO in Creil was also fined 10 years ago because the company had made agreements with three other companies. Then it was about the price of silverskin onions, and the companies also shared information with each other. The company was then fined more than 1.1 million euros. The Creiler company has stated that it does not wish to comment on the matter.
Source: https://www.omroepflevoland.nl/nieuws/360535/wortelbedrijf-veco-blijkt-betrokken-bij-kartel-1-2-miljoen-euro-boete
Translated from Dutch to English with Google translate