Sustainable food: share keeps growing

Sustainable food continues to grow in Dutch supermarkets despite strong inflation and high price increases. This is according to the full-year 2022 Retail Labels Monitor, conducted by Circana in cooperation with a consortium of labels. Sales of more sustainable food increased by 11% in 2022, twice as fast as total food sales (+4.8%). As a result, the turnover share of products with a more sustainable label within total supermarket food sales rose to 22.3%, the highest level ever.

Fish, meat/meat products growing fast

Turnover growth was mainly seen in the egg, fish, coffee/tea and meat/meat categories, where the share of sustainable labels was over 80%, around 50% and around 50% respectively. Turnover in AGF (fruit and vegetables) with label grew the most in 2022 (+19.2%), but the turnover share of AGF with a more sustainable label is still low compared to other categories, at 13.2%.

Notable was the growth in canned fish and the decline in fresh fish, while fish labels (MSC and ASC) maintained a high label share (80.1%). The organic label showed a slight growth (+3.8%), but as the overall market growth in food was higher, its share decreased. The growth of the Better Life label (+10.8%) was mainly due to chicken, whose sales almost doubled.

It is worth noting that sustainable products sold through Aldi and Lidl are not included in this monitor. Together, these supermarkets would turn over about EUR 1 billion of products with a more sustainable label. This puts total sales of more sustainable food with a label at over 8 billion euros.

Circana is a leading provider of market information, market insights and consultancy services in FMCG and Retail. Circana is working with a consortium of labels, including ASC, Bionext, COV, MSC and Stichting Beter Leven keurmerk, on the Retail Labels Monitor. The monitor includes the independently secured labels ASC, Beter Leven, Biologisch, Fair Trade/Max Havelaar, MSC, On the way to PlanetProof, Rainforest Alliance and UTZ for all supermarkets except Aldi and Lidl. Sustainable programmes of sectors and/or shop formulas such as Chicken of Tomorrow and Sustainable Dairy Chain are not included in this monitor.

Download the full report at: IRIworldwide.com