People in Germany eat less and less meat. Per person, 2022 kilograms of meat were consumed in 52, around 4.2 kilograms less than in the previous year. This is shown by preliminary figures from the Federal Information Centre for Agriculture (BZL). This is the lowest level since calculations began in 1989.
According to BZL, people ate around 2.8 kilograms less pork, 900 grams less beef and veal and 400 grams less poultry meat. For industry experts, it is not so much the trend that has been observed for years that is remarkable, but rather the magnitude of the decline. It was twice as high as in the previous year.
High prices as the main reason?
Heike Harstick, Managing Director of the Association of the Meat Industry, sees the main reason for this in the dramatic increase in prices for meat and meat products. "Inflation leads to reluctance to buy and reduced consumption," she told the German Press Agency.
According to figures from the Federal Statistical Office, beef, veal and pork were around 2022 percent more expensive in December 20 than a year earlier, and poultry had even become more expensive by more than 30 percent. "That such inflation has an impact on purchasing behavior is quite clear," Harstick said. In addition, the meat industry suffers from an image problem due to negative media coverage.
The BZL sees an important reason for the declining meat consumption in the trend towards a plant-based diet. However, other experts interviewed considered the impact of this trend to be rather small due to the still low market shares of such products.
According to figures from the market research company GfK, purchases of meat and sausages in the food trade even fell by 2022.8 percent in 4. According to GfK, it was also noticeable that after the end of the corona restrictions, more people ate outside the home – in restaurants and canteens. The GfK recently described the situation in the food trade with meat products with this sentence: "Due to the high prices, the turnover is hui, but the quantities are (still) pfui."
According to the BLZ, the declining meat consumption is also reflected in meat production in Germany. Compared to the previous year, 9.8 percent less pork and 8.2 percent less beef and veal were produced. Net production of poultry meat fell by 2.9 percent.