The Dutch continue to buy more fruit and vegetables

The increased interest in fruit and vegetables among Dutch consumers continues in 2021. From January to the end of June, households bought 4 percent more fresh vegetables and 3 percent more fruit than a year ago. On average, consumer purchases of the entire range of vegetables and fruit grew by four percent. This emerges from information from GroentenFruit Huis on the basis of data from research agency GfK. In 2020, Dutch households bought 9 percent more vegetables and fruit than in the previous year. 

Top 10 vegetables 

With a 10 percent share of the total weight sold, tomatoes remain by far the most bought vegetable in 2021. In the first half of the year, 2 percent more tomatoes were bought than last year. The onion is in second place. From January to June, Dutch consumers bought 16 percent more onions than a year ago. Cucumber (+3%) and carrot (+1%) are in third and fourth place. Peppers complete the top 5. This vegetable was one of the strongest risers in 2020 and sales also increased in 2021. Up to and including June this year, Dutch consumers bought 3% more. Chicory and broccoli, positions 8 and 9 in this top-10 most purchased vegetables, changed places in favour of chicory.

Top 10 fruit

Bananas (+1%) took first place in the Top 10 purchases of fruit. It was closely followed by apple (-5%). Pear consumption has been under pressure in recent years. This changed in the first half of this year. Dutch consumers bought 20% more pears. Besides pears, blueberries (+14%), kiwis (+14%), grapes (+11%) and lemons (+10%) were popular in the first half of the year.

Boost online

Corona has given online shopping a huge boost. In 2020, online had a share of 6 percent within the total consumer purchase of fruit and vegetables. In the first half of 2021, it had a share of almost 8 percent.

Groentenfruithuis.nl