Title: Dutch organic sales up 16.4% to reach €1bn milestone
[Fruitnet 11 Oct 2013] — Total consumer spending on organic food in the Netherlands passed the €1bn in 2012, according to a new report by Dutch organic chain organisation Bionext. The study, which was commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, found that most organic food was sold in conventional supermarkets, health food stores and through the 'out of home' channel. Farmers markets and local stores sold around €70.1m of organic food, helping the total hit the €1bn mark, with overall spending on organic fruit and vegetables increasing 16.4 per cent compared with 2011. "The non-stop rise of organic sales during the economic crisis is a clear signal to the industry that consumers are fed up with food production that only benefits shareholders, but harms the environment, society's social fabric and your health," noted Eosta CEO Volkert Engelsman. "Consumers ask for sustainability and transparency, which is why we developed the Nature & More transparency scheme," he added. "Transparency empowers consumers to make informed purchase decisions – that creates trust." ${imageDescription} Comment
