"The pain reaches far into the middle classes. In Brussels, one of Europe's richest cities, teachers and nurses stood in line on a recent evening to collect half-price groceries from the back of a truck.

The vendor, Happy hours Market, collects food close to its expiration date from supermarkets and advertises it through an app. Customers can order in the party afternoon and collect their cut-price groceries in the evening.

"Some customers tell me, because of you I can eat meat two or three times per week," said Pierre van Hede, who was handing out crates of groceries."