Many people on social media wondered this after, among others, biologist Sjoerd van de Wouw posted a photo of the peas from Zimbabwe online. “Airplanes land at Schiphol for this nonsense too,” he wrote.
‘A pod is a pod’
Why are the supermarkets doing this? At least not because snow peas from abroad are tastier, Willy Baltussen explains to RTL Nieuws. He is a senior researcher in agricultural chains and sustainability at Wageningen University. “Even though the pea pods mainly come from a greenhouse in the Netherlands and the country abroad, you can’t taste a difference. A pod is a pod.”
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According to the supermarkets, it is mainly due to the number of snow peas that are grown in the Netherlands. Snow peas come to Albert Heijn from Zimbabwe because there is not enough large-scale cultivation in the Netherlands to supply our 1,100 stores,” a spokesperson for Albert Heijn reacts.
‘Climate not suitable’
According to a Jumbo spokesperson, this is due to the ‘Dutch climate, which is unfortunately not suitable for growing pods on a large scale’. “There is therefore not enough supply in the Netherlands to be able to supply all our stores.”
When asked, the Agriculture and Horticulture Organization of the Netherlands (LTO) confirms that there are not enough Dutch snow peas for all supermarkets in the country. But that would ‘definitely not’ be due to the Dutch climate. “In the Netherlands you can grow snow peas very well. However, they are harvested by hand, and because the costs for this were higher than the consumers were willing to pay, the snow peas are no longer grown on a large scale in the Netherlands.”
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As a result, the supply in the Netherlands has decreased, so that the supermarkets now only offer snow peas from Zimbabwe and Guatemala, among others.
According to the LTO, it is crucial in the context of sustainability that this changes and that products that are produced in the Netherlands in the relevant season are no longer imported. They will discuss this with the supermarkets in the coming years. “If sustainability is to really succeed, it is necessary to let go of the frame of ‘always the lowest price’.”
By air or by sea?
But is it so climate unfriendly? Jumbo says that their snow peas are ‘as a rule transported by sea and not by plane in order to reduce the impact on the environment’. Researcher Baltussen: “Energy consumption is limited if you transport by ship. You will probably use even less for one pea pod than when you grow a pea pod here in a greenhouse. If you send the pod to the Netherlands by plane, that is a different story. That really won’t do the climate any good.”
Albert Heijn says that their snow peas will come to the Netherlands by cargo plane, but the supermarket is ‘in talks to have them come by ship’.
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Besides the discussion about the price of a pea pod and whether or not it is bad for the climate, there is also another point to mention. Bal Tussenes: “Zimbabwe and Guatemala: those are not the richest countries. If you import from those kinds of countries, it can have a positive effect on those countries. It provides them with income and employment. Not only for the farmer, but often the entire production process was done there, so you can see this as a form of development aid.”
‘Living conditions improved’
Albert Heijn says in a response to this that the Zimbabwean company Selby, from which they purchase the snow peas, is affiliated with their AH Foundation. “Specifically for Selby, together with our foundation, the living conditions of Selby’s employees were improved. For example, stone houses, electricity, running water, sanitary facilities and a multifunctional meeting center were built. For projects we work together with representatives of the employees of our suppliers who tell us where the greatest needs and priorities.”
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