Food - "Image is recovering" - meat industry more confident again
Following the decline in meat consumption in recent years, the meat industry in Germany sees itself on the upswing and is optimistic about the new year. "More than 90 percent of people value meat as a foodstuff," said Hubert Kelliger, Member of the Board of the German Meat Industry Association (VDF) this Thursday. Although there was a slight decline in some product groups, there were also higher sales thanks to higher 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 in the coming year. "The image of meat is slowly recovering. The reputation of animal-based foods is coming out of its slump," said VDF board member Gereon Schulze Althoff.
The industry representatives draw their optimism from a consumer survey conducted by the GfK Consumer Panel, which was published in summer 2023. The market research study was conducted on behalf of the German-Dutch Vion Food Group, one of the largest slaughtering companies in Germany.
Survey: meat indispensable for the 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 earlier. Schulze-Althoff also notes an increase in demand and a "return to the past" among younger people. There can no longer be any talk of a nutritional turnaround or of some age groups giving up meat completely in the medium term. "This is turning around."
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 in the previous year; in 2022, it was already eight percent less than a year earlier.
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- The meat industry in North Rhine-Westphalia, a region in Germany, shares the nationwide optimism, as indicated by Hubert Kelliger, a member of the Board of the VDF.
- Although some meat product groups experienced a slight decline, the overall meat consumption in Bonn, the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, saw higher sales due to increased prices.
- Gereon Schulze Althoff, another VDF board member, is confident about the meat industry's future, attributing it to the gradual improvement in meat's image and the rebounding interest among consumers.
- The Vion Food Group, one of the largest slaughtering companies in Germany located in North Rhine-Westphalia, commissioned a consumer survey by the GfK Consumer Panel, which found an increase in the number of people considering meat an indispensable part of their diet.
- Despite experiencing a decline in meat production in Germany over the past years, the meat industry, including prominent companies like Tönnies and Westfleisch, is expecting a strong holiday season and stability in the coming year.
Source: www.stern.de
