Vegetable price differences vary widely by supermarket
A Consumentenbond price survey also found major differences between unprocessed and pre-cut products.
Those buying fruit and vegetables pay widely varying prices depending on the supermarket, packaging and processing. In a Consumentenbond price survey, Nettorama was the cheapest on average and Spar the most expensive of the chains examined.
The Consumentenbond compared 100 types of potatoes, vegetables and fruit at 13 supermarket chains. The measurements took place in the final week of June and the first three weeks of July 2026, both online and in shops. Special offers were excluded and, where necessary, price differences were recalculated to a standard quantity.
Nettorama was on average 15 per cent below the average price level in the survey. Dirk was 13 per cent below average. Spar was 23 per cent more expensive than average, followed by Picnic, which was 10 per cent above average. The comparison says nothing about taste, quality, freshness or shelf life.
The biggest differences sometimes arose within the same supermarket. Pre-cut vegetables cost on average 98 per cent more than the unprocessed version, with the researchers taking trimming waste into account. For onions, the difference reached 339 per cent in the measurement; for cauliflower, the cut version was 150 per cent more expensive.
The results are not linked solely to the shop. Packaging, size, processing and the season affect the price. The Consumentenbond found, for example, that loose chicory and loose tomatoes were cheaper in specific measurements than the same quantity in a package. Oranges were an exception in the examples examined.
The survey also shows why averages should be read with caution. Fresh products can become more or less expensive in a short time, and prices vary by branch, brand and packaging. The Consumentenbond also did not compare all products in exactly the same form; the study focused on price, not on a full assessment of the grocery range.
According to the organisation, potatoes and onions had become about 30 per cent cheaper in the three-year comparison, while some beans and courgettes had become more expensive. These are developments within the range examined and not a general prediction for all food prices. That is why comparing prices per kilo or per item remains more important than looking only at the shelf label.
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The percentages and research period were checked against the published price survey. The text limits its conclusions to the products, shops and measurement points examined.
- confirmed Nettorama was on average 15 per cent cheaper than the average price level. — This percentage appears in the Consumentenbond price survey. source
- confirmed Spar was on average 23 per cent more expensive than average. — The Consumentenbond cites this difference in the ranking. source
- confirmed Pre-cut vegetables were on average 98 per cent more expensive than unprocessed vegetables. — The price survey reports this average after correcting for trimming waste. source
- confirmed The survey took place in June and July 2026. — The organisation refers to the final week of June and the first three weeks of July. source
Editor's note
The figures come from a single Consumentenbond price survey conducted in June and July 2026. The study compares prices, not quality or structural profit margins.Sources
- Prijspeiling groente en fruit: waar is groente en fruit het goedkoopst — Consumentenbond
More on this in Dutch media
- de Volkskrant — „supermarkten groente”
- NU.nl — „supermarkten groente”
- De Telegraaf — „supermarkten groente”