AH only puts 55 percent of fish in gourmets, fishmonger Jeffrey from Leeuwarden does not participate in skimping inflation

The Consumers’ Association examined more than six hundred products from AH, Jumbo, Super, Dirk and Aldi, both A-brands and own brands. What effect do rising costs have on grocery shopping, price researcher Ferry Ploeg wanted to know.

He noticed that retailers and food manufacturers were reluctant to charge their customers more again. The companies would rather put a little less into their merchandise. Ploeg calls it skimpy inflation. He encountered this phenomenon with no fewer than one in four products.

For example, Duo Penotti Hazelnut & Vanilla no longer contains 7, but only 5 percent hazelnut. Maggi puts a mere 4.3 percent of vegetables in its vegetable stock. And the Jumbo Chicken Soup? There, the chicken share has been reduced from 8.6 to 5.8 percent.

Bread-crumbs

AH’s Lekkerbekjes also had to suffer. While those frozen packs used to contain 75 percent pollock, nowadays that is only 55 percent. The rest of that frozen fish caught in the Pacific Ocean consists of breadcrumbs. Why?

“The recipe has been replaced by a recipe that was rated significantly better by consumers,” the supermarket group informed the Consumers’ Association. ‘It is now crispier due to a thicker coating, which means that these delicacies contain proportionately less fish.’

At the fish shop Hollander’s Nieuwe on the Drachtsterweg in Leeuwarden they tackle inflation differently. “We never cut back on quality,” asserts Jeffrey Hollander. “We are different from the supermarket in that respect. You can get fish from the fishmonger.”

Fuel prices for fishing boats

Jeffrey and his brother Robin started their business ten years ago. Of course they also notice that everything has become more expensive. Just take the expensive fuel prices for the fishing cutters. The fishing industry will have to pass on this.

This has an impact on the price list of Hollander’s Nieuwe. “We have also become a bit more expensive, but that is a piece of cake,” says Jeffrey. “Customers sometimes say something about it. Usually it remains just that one time.”

100 percent cod

Anyone who orders a tasty treat from Jeffrey or his colleagues will receive 100 percent cod. It then goes through the batter before your eyes and then into the fryer. “The customer takes his tasty treat home with him warm. We really have a thriving business.”

The clientele consists of shoppers who have just visited the Albert Heijn XL around the corner, other types of passers-by and local residents. “We have also been receiving a lot of German tourists lately who are passing through to Ameland.” How do they find his restaurant? ,,Word of mouth.”