Labelling law under review to lower supermarket prices

The price gap between Dutch supermarkets and those in Belgium or Germany remains strikingly large. GroenLinks-PvdA wants to ensure consumers are no longer paying the price. MP Jesse Klaver is working on a legislative proposal to make it easier for foreign products to be sold in Dutch stores.

Labelling rules as a stumbling block

The new law would allow products with English, German or French labels to be sold in the Netherlands. According to Klaver, this is necessary because identical products are often significantly cheaper abroad. For example, he paid €33 for a basket of groceries in Belgium, while the same basket would have cost €44 in the Netherlands. “At the supermarket or drugstore checkout, consumers are paying through the nose,” Klaver said. He believes producers and supermarkets are keeping prices artificially high, while consumers are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet.

Supermarkets point to producers

Supermarkets place the blame on large multinationals, accusing them of charging unfairly high prices for products sold in the Netherlands. Territorial supply restrictions prevent retailers from sourcing products in the cheapest parts of the EU. Dutch labelling regulations also play a role in this. Producers deliberately design their products for specific national markets, making it harder to import cheaper versions. A planned roundtable in the Dutch House of Representatives, with invitations sent to Albert Heijn, Jumbo, Lidl, Unilever, Nestlé and purchasing organisation Everest, was cancelled after all invitees declined to attend.

Law aims to strengthen supermarket position

With the proposed amendment, Klaver wants to give supermarkets more room to offer lower-priced products. In such cases, product information would have to be made available in Dutch online. “No excessive profits at the expense of people doing their daily shopping,” he stated.

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