"Tomato sales are on the rise, while the catering industry has seen a 10 percent reduction in fruit and vegetable usage. Additionally, supermarket sales of fruit and vegetables in the Netherlands have increased by 5 percent despite unchanged volume. These insights are among the findings available in the GroentenFruit Huis market information dashboard", writes Wilco van den Berg.
A brief explanation of the three points mentioned
In the first five months of 2024, 311 million kilos of tomatoes (incl. some re-export) were sold by Dutch companies to customers abroad (mainly neighboring countries). This was more than a year earlier when production was lower due to high energy costs. But compared to 2021, it is still 12 percent lower.
For many hospitality and leisure businesses, the first half of 2024 literally and figuratively fell into the water. The abundance of rain and increased costs had a negative impact on results. This can also be seen in the purchasing of fresh fruit and vegetables. For instance, from January to mid-August (week 32), companies in the hospitality and catering sector bought almost 10 percent less fruit and vegetables than last year.
Supermarkets in the Netherlands sold almost as much fruit and vegetables by weight as last year this year through mid-August (week 32). However, sales increased by 5 percent, according to information from GroentenFruit Huis based on data from Circana (formerly IRI).
2 percent more by weight of unprocessed vegetables passed the till. The risers include products such as hashtag#onion, hashtag#cucumber, hashtag#tomato, and hashtag#peppers. The weight of cut fresh vegetables sold fell by 1 percent and fruit sales (-2%) were also below the 2023 level.
Source: GroentenFruit Huis