A report by the research agency IRi has stated that supermarkets in the Netherlands are continuing to increase their range of sustainable foods.

Growing range of sustainable products in Dutch supermarkets

Their research shows that supermarkets are making more of an effort to expand the number of sustainable products they offer. IRi notes that many supermarkets are, in certain food groups, opting to replace all products without a so-called quality stamp (keurmerk) - i.e. Fair Trade, UTZ and PlanetProof - with products that do, so consumers are left with no choice but to shop (more) sustainably.

Sustainable dairy, fruit and vegetable products appeared to experience the largest growth in range. For example, the supermarket chain Plus only offers free-range eggs, so customers are forced to buy more environmentally- and animal-friendly products.

The effect of the coronavirus on supermarket profits

The IRi report also reveals that Dutch supermarkets saw their turnover increase by almost 10 percent in the first half of 2020, and that their sales of sustainable products increased by 15 percent in the first six months of 2020. 

According to a spokesperson for IRi, the Netherlands is unique in regards to the range of sustainable products available in supermarkets: “All supermarkets are working on sustainability, which gives consumers much more choice and improves production processes.”