Dutch supermarkets boycott Actimel and Activia

The Danone probiotic drinking yogurts Activia and Actimel have been taken off the shelves of one of the Netherlands top supermarket chains because the French processor has announced price increases which are “too high and much too quickly imposed”.

Boycotting of the Danone products from the last week of January was the Dutch Superunie chain that claims to have some 30% of the national retail market through its main outlets Jan Linders, Spar and Jumbo. Superunie claim that Danone wanted to impose a “30 to 40%” price increase for its wellness or probiotic products. This is not the first time that Superunie stores have imposed boycotts as a way of pressuring suppliers to think again about their prices. Last year the chain banned Coca-Cola products from its shelves for this reason and Heineken beer has also been taken off the shelves for a short period to allow the brewery time to “reconsider” its pricing policy.”