“Organic produce should be sold with minimum packaging”

Michael Wilde, Sustainability & Communications Manager at Eosta, visited Sweden in September 2014, and found that Swedish consumers choose local, sustainable and organic produce in massive numbers. He was in Sweden for the ICA Inspirational Fairs, where ICA retailers can meet with the suppliers of their products, Eosta being one of them.

Michael took the opportunity to visit a dozen other stores at the event, including Coop and Axfood. "The retailers all agreed that the demand for organic has been growing rapidly of late. Organic is increasingly the norm in Sweden." According to Michael, this is visible in the large amount of organic products on the shelves.

He continues: "It struck us that in supermarkets, organic fruits and vegetables are offered in bulk as much as possible. This makes them look more beautiful and natural, and they are more likely to end up in the basket."

Michael also noticed that many different products and variants displayed on shelves aren’t actually grown in Sweden. "This certainly offers opportunities for Dutch businesses, keen to supply upcoming markets. Especially considering the fact that Sweden doesn’t do much in terms of production. For creative companies with interesting products, Sweden is a very appealing market."