More sports and food supplements in grocery stores

Sports nutritional supplements are increasingly available in Dutch supermarkets. Albert Heijn, Jumbo, Lidl, and Dirk van den Broek have long shelves stocked with protein-rich foods and supplements like creatine and pre-workouts. Several supermarkets are even developing their own private brands, NOS reports.

The market for sports nutrition and supplements has experienced strong growth in recent years and supermarkets are getting in on the trend. Albert Heijn, Jumbo, and Lidl started selling some dairy products that contain a lot of protein. These sold so well that the supermarkets expanded their range.

Jumbo now offers nine sports nutrition products under its own house brand. Lidl started offering its own range of shakes, bars, desserts, creatine, and pre-workouts two weeks ago. You can also get AH-branded protein bars.

“As we added more sports products, there was more turnover. There seemed to be no limit,” Richard Blok of Lidl told NOS. “We have a kitchen in the office, where we test all products ourselves. So I’ve had quite a few shakes by now.”

Experts have some concerns about the growing popularity of these supplements. Many recreational athletes can get what they need from a healthy and varied diet, sports nutritionist Josette van Toor told NOS. “You get protein-enriched peanut butter and oatmeal,” she said. “But why is that necessary? There really isn’t much more in it. So it is important to read the labels carefully.”

Van Toor also warned that supplements with a high caffeine content, such as pre-workouts, could be risky. “That can do something to your blood pressure and you could even suffer from heart problems,” she said.