Koen van Gelder
Team Lead E-commerce
Food trends in the Netherlands and Belgium - statistics & facts
The food markets in the Netherlands and Belgium are closely related. The two neighboring countries share more than just a language – they are also major trade partners. For instance, Belgium ranks second in the top list of import countries for Dutch vegetables. In the other trade direction, the Netherlands is an avid importer of Belgian beer. Dutch liquor stores, bars, and supermarkets import roughly 3.3 million hectoliters of Belgian speciaalbier annually. With tastes so similar in the two countries, it is no surprise that the Netherlands and Belgium also share several food trends.
Food products that are produced in organic and sustainable ways are gaining ground in the Benelux. In 2020, the average Belgian consumer spent 77 euros on organic products. This was double the amount of 2013, indicating rapid annual growth. The average Dutch consumer spent roughly the same on organic products. Not all food categories have an equally large selection of organic products on offer. For both countries, organic eggs have the highest market share. Organic egg sales make up roughly 17 percent of all egg sales in the Netherlands and Belgium. However, there are also differences between these two countries. For example, the share of organic vegetables is roughly twice as high in Belgium as in the Netherlands.
Much like in the rest of the world, meat consumption is facing criticism in the Netherlands and Belgium. For reasons related to animal welfare, the environment, and personal health, more and more consumers are opting for a meat-avoiding diet. There are several degrees of meat avoidance. The flexitarian diet, where one consciously reduces meat consumption, is the most popular diet in the Netherlands. Depending on the age group, roughly 40 to 50 percent of the population follows a flexitarian diet. The more restrictive the diet is, the fewer adopters it has. A mere two percent of adults in the Netherlands follows a vegan diet, with Belgium recording a similar figure. Nonetheless, the number of vegans and vegetarians is increasing.
Organic is becoming the new normal
Food products that are produced in organic and sustainable ways are gaining ground in the Benelux. In 2020, the average Belgian consumer spent 77 euros on organic products. This was double the amount of 2013, indicating rapid annual growth. The average Dutch consumer spent roughly the same on organic products. Not all food categories have an equally large selection of organic products on offer. For both countries, organic eggs have the highest market share. Organic egg sales make up roughly 17 percent of all egg sales in the Netherlands and Belgium. However, there are also differences between these two countries. For example, the share of organic vegetables is roughly twice as high in Belgium as in the Netherlands.
Meat-avoiding diets are increasingly popular
Much like in the rest of the world, meat consumption is facing criticism in the Netherlands and Belgium. For reasons related to animal welfare, the environment, and personal health, more and more consumers are opting for a meat-avoiding diet. There are several degrees of meat avoidance. The flexitarian diet, where one consciously reduces meat consumption, is the most popular diet in the Netherlands. Depending on the age group, roughly 40 to 50 percent of the population follows a flexitarian diet. The more restrictive the diet is, the fewer adopters it has. A mere two percent of adults in the Netherlands follows a vegan diet, with Belgium recording a similar figure. Nonetheless, the number of vegans and vegetarians is increasing.
