Demand for organic food rising in the Netherlands`

Quality of packaging helps

GORINCHEM – Dutch supermarkets are increasingly catering to customers wanting organic food products. The volume of organic food sold by supermarkets has risen sharply, in 2010 up 20 percent in the first nine months over that of the same period in 2009.

The rise represents the biggest jump in growth in a decade. The sales of organic food in the Netherlands in the first nine months of 2010 totaled nearly 230 million euros.

The increase was mainly attributed to dairy products, but consumers also turned increasingly to organically produced coffee, tea, cocoa and meat. The Organic Farming Market Development group (in Dutch: Marktontwikkeling Biologische Landbouw) reports that better packaging has in return given the products a better reception. The range of organically produced food has also increased.