Netherlands: Growth of snack vegetables many times higher than candy

The Dutch not only spend a lot of money on candy and snacks, but also on snack vegetables such as snack tomatoes, little cucumbers and mini peppers. In total over 27 million Euro was spent on snack vegetables in Dutch supermarkets in 2012.

The purchase of snack vegetables increased by 337% from 2009 to 2012, while the growth of candy increased by only 16% in the past five years. This is shown in data gathered by the Snacks and Confectionery Study Centre. Snack tomatoes are especially popular with the Dutch. These tomatoes represent 92% of total sales of snack vegetables. The Dutch spent 25 million Euro in 2012 on these smart candies packed with vitamins.

Snack tomatoes in bags of 200 and 250 grams, experienced a growth of 2 million units in 2009 to more than 10 million units in 2012. Snack tomatoes packed in 500 gram buckets were introduced in 2011. Sales of this type of packaging amounted to 1.7 million units within a year.

The demand for little cucumbers remains stable. The mini peppers had a small dip two years ago, but demand for this healthy snack increased significantly last year. The snack tomatoes, cucumbers and mini peppers which contain many good nutrients, are available in handy take-out packages and therefore fit perfectly into a healthy diet.

Source: IRI