Dietary preferences in the Christmas hamper: vegetarian, alcohol-free, gluten-free and halal

A diverse workforce means that dietary requirements and personal preferences are increasingly shaping the contents of a Christmas hamper. Vegetarian, alcohol-free, gluten-free and halal products are now an essential part of any well-composed package. At the Nederlandse Kerstpakkettenbeurs at Expo Houten, hamper curators and buyers can meet the suppliers who make this possible.

Why do dietary requirements matter in a Christmas hamper?

A hamper that misses the mark fails its purpose entirely. An employee who doesn't drink alcohol or follows a gluten-free diet only truly feels valued when the hamper reflects that. This attention to detail signals that an employer genuinely cares about its people. For curators sourcing at the Nederlandse Kerstpakkettenbeurs, variety in the product range is therefore not a nice-to-have — it's a basic requirement.

Which dietary and preference-based adaptations are most common?

Demand centres on four main categories, each of which affects a substantial proportion of employees:

• Vegetarian and plant-based. Over 5 per cent of people in the Netherlands eat a fully vegetarian or vegan diet, and more than half describe themselves as flexitarian. According to Statistics Netherlands (CBS), around a quarter of main meals are now vegetarian (Vegamonitor, CBS).
• Alcohol-free. Sales of alcohol-free and low-alcohol beer grew by approximately 14 per cent in 2025, continuing a long-running upward trend (biernet.nl).
• Gluten-free. Approximately 0.5 to 1 per cent of the Dutch population has coeliac disease, while an even larger group follows a gluten-free diet for other reasons (NCV/Schär).
• Halal and other religiously compliant choices. In 2024, 7 per cent of the population aged 15 and over identified as Muslim (CBS).

A modern workforce is diverse. A hamper that reflects this reaches everyone. At the Nederlandse Kerstpakkettenbeurs you will find food and non-food suppliers who offer these variants alongside their standard range.

What does an inclusive Christmas hamper offer the employer?

Greater appreciation. A hamper that the recipient can genuinely use does more for employee satisfaction than an expensive package that ends up gathering dust at the back of a cupboard. Curators who can switch between variants make a real difference for their clients. The quickest way to have that conversation is on the show floor, where you can see, taste and compare products side by side.

How do you put together a hamper that works for everyone?

Start with suppliers who carry the variants you need as standard, and build your hamper from there. Over two days at the Nederlandse Kerstpakkettenbeurs, you can meet all the suppliers you require, from vegetarian to halal. Find out more about exhibiting and visiting at nederlandsekerstpakkettenbeurs.nl.