Netherlands: Immigrants don't like their vegetables too perfect

Netherlands: Immigrants don't like their vegetables too perfect

Study available in PDF (in Dutch)


Immigrants see fruits and vegetables in the Netherlands as less real because they're 'too beautiful'.  They do value the quality of the products, which offers opportunities for the biological sector.

According to a Literature study 'immigrants and food', which the LEI did about the feeding pattern of Turks, Moroccans and Surinamese in the Netherlands, and their perceptions about it.

Researcher Isabelle van den Berg wanted to see if there's possibilities for a market for biological products among these population groups.

Many immigrants see deformities in a product as authentic.  According to Van den Berg, the biological sector can play in on this, since quite often bio-products have small imperfections.

Dutch of Turkish, Moroccan and Surinamese origin give a lot of value to food and its quality.  This also offers opportunities for the biological sector, she says.

She says that the bio-sector can find another possible starting point in the fact that immigrant often cook with fresh products.  They love to use unwrapped, separately purchased products and much less pre-cut, prepackaged vegetables, fruit and meat.

Van den Berg reports that the eating behavior of the second generation immigrant is changing.  It is growing close to the Western eating habits, and that means that they use more Western ingredients and convenience products.  On the other hand, ethnic Dutch use non-Western ingredients more and more often in their cooking.


Source: Elsevier Voedingsmiddelen Industrie

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