After the decline in meat consumption in recent years, the meat industry in Germany is on the rise and is looking forward to the new year with optimism. “Meat is a valued food for more than 90 percent,” said Hubert Kelliger, board member of the German Meat Industry Association (VDF) this Thursday. Although there is a slight decline in some product groups, there is also higher sales thanks to increased prices.
The industry association VDF represents the interests of companies in the livestock and meat sector and speaks for slaughterhouse operators such as Tönnies, Westfleisch, Danish Crown and Vion. After a good autumn, the meat industry is expecting strong Christmas business and stabilization next year. “The image of meat is slowly recovering. The reputation of animal-based food is coming out of the slump,” said VDF board member Gereon Schulze Althoff.
Industry representatives draw their optimism from a consumer survey by the GfK Consumer Panel, which was published in summer 2023. The market research study was carried out on behalf of the German-Dutch Vion Food Group, one of the largest slaughter companies in Germany.
Poll: Meat essential for majority
According to the survey, meat is an indispensable part of the diet for 61 percent of people in Germany – four percentage points more than a year ago. Schulze-Althoff is also noticing increasing demand and “reflection” among younger people. There can no longer be any talk of a change in diet and of some age groups giving up meat completely in the medium term. “It’s spinning.”
According to figures from the Federal Statistical Office, meat production in Germany has recently fallen sharply. In the first half of 2023, the total volume fell by 5.9 percent compared to the same period last year, and in 2022 it was already eight percent less than a year earlier.
