Lidl tops Dutch fruit and veg survey

Lidl has topped the fresh fruit and vegetable category for the second year running in an annual survey of Dutch supermarkets conducted by Food Magazine and research group GfK.

At a special conference to announce this year's winners, the German-owned discount chain held on to top spot for the quality of its fruit and vegetable offer, reflecting the appreciation of shoppers who took part in the poll.

The accolade comes just over two months after Lidl's operation in the Netherlands was named by consumer group Consumentenbond as the retailer with the best quality-price ratio for fresh fruit and vegetables sold in the country.

Consumentenbond's investigation also drew on research data supplied by GfK and based on consumer feedback.

Food retailer Jan Linders, meanwhile, received Food Magazine's highest overall rating for its quality across all fresh departments, with Royal Ahold's hypermarket banner AH XL a close second.