Denmark: Føtex and Bilka sell organic tomatoes in bulk

All markets of the chains Føtex and Bilka (both part of the Dansk Supermarked Group) in Denmark started to sell organic tomatoes in bulk in the first week in May. To avoid confusion, it will no longer be possible to buy unwrapped conventional tomatoes there. In Danish stores, organic fruit and vegetables are often found in plastic wrappers to avoid the risk of confusion with their non-organic counterparts. As organic fruit and vegetables are mostly the smallest group in terms of volume, it is those products that are packaged. 
 

"Now we go all the way and eliminate conventional loose tomatoes, leaving room for the organic items", says Kasper Kamp, buyer at Dansk Supermarked A / S. The supermarket and grocery stores will evaluate this project and possibly expand into other categories. "We see this as an experiment to find out if customers want organic tomatoes in bulk, and then we can use the findings as a basis to consider whether there are other categories of fruit and vegetables where we can do the same thing," says Kasper Kamp.

"Organic fruit and vegetables wrapped in a plastic contradict the values of naturalness, environment- friendliness and sustainability that are associated with ecology. Therefore it is gratifying to see that large chain stores make this decision. It is positive that the supermarkets and grocery stores are supporting conscious consumers and "free" organic tomatoes. It gives consumers an oppertunity to get closer to the offer by smelling the merchandise," says Henrik Hindborg, Marketing Manager for Organic Denmark, adding: "It is the conventional tomatoes with pesticide residues on the surface that should be wrapped."

Organic Denmark