How much of the assortment comprises of healthy products?

Assortment largely comparable

The share of healthy products in the supermarkets’ range of goods on offer is similar in each case. Even if we ignore product groups of 'treats' like candy, chocolate and crisps, on average 59 percent of the range is not eligible for membership of the basic five food groups.

A striking aspect is the similarities between supermarkets: in some product groups, regardless of the supermarket, there are hardly any healthy varieties available. For example, dry bread products (biscuits, crackers) generally contain too little fibre to be included in the basic 5 food groups. More than 4 out of 5 meat and meat substitute products also fall outside the basic 5 food groups, generally because they contain too much salt. In terms of the quantity of sugar in soft drinks and salt in meat (substitutes) and sauces, some differences are evident, though. Aldi sells relatively high amounts of salt and sugar in those product groups, while the Ekoplaza assortment is distinguished by relatively low-sugar soft drinks and relatively low-salt meat and meat substitutes.