The bitterbal, frikandel and kroket – the deep-fried backbone of the Dutch borrelplankje – are losing ground in supermarket freezers as shoppers reach for gyoza, dumplings and Korean-style fried chicken instead, supermarket trade journal Distrifood has reported.
Sales of frikandel are down 17% since 2024, bitterballen 11% and kroketten 6%, according to figures from market researcher Circana. Frozen chicken snacks, meanwhile, are up 18% – and the growth is being led by Japanese and Korean varieties such as gyoza, yakitori and karaage.
There are shifts in the frozen fries section too. Thin fries are up 8.7% and crinkle fries by 18%, but sales of spiral-shaped twister fries have fallen from €6.5 million in 2024 to €4.58 million in 2026 – a drop of nearly 30%. Potato dippers (-36%) and pommes duchesse (-46%) are also on the way out.
Frozen waffles have fared worst of all. Sales are down 91.5% in two years, and the snack has all but vanished from supermarket shelves.
