Organic in supermar­kets: high ambitions, little action

The ambitions of Dutch supermarkets regarding the sale of organic products are clear, yet in practice, product availability and promotional efforts are still falling short. While the Netherlands aims to expand organic farmland to 15% by 2030, supermarkets’ concrete actions remain largely on paper. This is evident from Questionmark’s Benchmark Bio 2025, a baseline measurement of organic offerings among Dutch supermarket chains.

Plus and Dirk are the first supermarkets to set concrete targets for increasing their share of organic sales. Dirk has even set sub-targets for specific product categories such as bread, eggs, and dairy. Albert Heijn, Jumbo, and Lidl, however, limit their ambitions to potatoes, vegetables, and fruit (AGF). Albert Heijn does provide detailed reports on organic sales in other categories, such as cheese and meat products, but has not yet defined firm growth objectives.

Product assortment still leaves room for improvement

Not all supermarkets consistently offer organic options. Plus stands out by proactively pushing organic, notably by selling potatoes exclusively organic at conventional prices. Albert Heijn and Jumbo offer organic choices in all examined product categories. Aldi and Dirk lag behind, failing to offer organic alternatives in several categories such as milk or kidney beans.

Promotion of organic remains minimal

Supermarkets are also cautious in their promotional efforts for organic products. Less than 4 percent of folder promotions involve organic items. Albert Heijn performs relatively best, averaging around 5 percent organic promotions. Aldi and Dirk trail significantly, with less than 2 percent of their promotions featuring organic products.

These findings indicate that Dutch retail still has considerable progress to make in promoting organic consumption. Supermarkets have set clear ambitions, but it remains to be seen how quickly these will become visible to consumers.

Read the ‘Benchmark Bio 2025’
Thequestionmark.org