The Dutch prefer fresh food. In more than two-thirds of households, at least half of the weekly dishes are prepared with fresh, unprocessed ingredients. One in ten households even cooks every day with products that have not been prepackaged, pre-peeled or processed in any other way. People over 50 do this more often than young people. Of that group, 43 percent cooks with fresh ingredients for at least five days, compared to 35 percent among young people. There are also clear differences here between multi-person households (41%) and people who live alone (29%). This is the result of research by La Place among more than 1000 Dutch people.
Two-thirds of the respondents prefer a healthy feeling. Many Dutch (86%) are even willing to wait a little longer for their product that is freshly prepared on the spot. More than 60 percent is also willing to spend more money for these fresh products. This applies more strongly to people aged 30 and older than to young people. The lunch shop, to-go or self-service restaurant that the Dutch most often associate with fresh food is La Place (54%), followed by Subway (36%), Bakker Bart (32%), and Delifrance (31%).
Although most Dutch people think fresh food is tasty and healthy, not everyone prepares their meals that way. The most frequently cited reason for not always cooking with fresh products is the lack of time (41%). Young people in particular use this argument. A quarter of all respondents find shopping in particular a hassle and an equally large percentage believe that processed and prepackaged products are just as healthy. Fresh products are often too expensive, especially in the eyes of young people.
One of the products that the vast majority of Dutch people prefer to see fresh on their plate is fresh bread. No less than 86 percent indicate that they prefer a sandwich that is prepared on the spot, as opposed to a sandwich that is already filled. The Dutch also prefer to eat freshly prepared fish. Eighty percent of people prefer to eat products from the fish trade instead of the fish that is waiting for them in plastic in the refrigerator of the supermarket. Furthermore, orange juice (freshly squeezed) and soup (homemade) are also mentioned as products that are preferably freshly prepared. For example, more than half of the Dutch would rather drink a freshly squeezed juice or smoothie than a drink based on a concentrate. Women, incidentally, attach slightly more value to this than men.
Meal box
The respondents were also asked whether they ever have fresh food delivered at home, in the form of a meal box or a fruit and vegetable package. Eight percent of the Dutch do that. About a third of the Dutch prefer meat, vegetables and fruit that are produced locally.
