Nutrition turnaround on the rise in Germany

Long-term market study by endori provides meaningful figures on the future of plant-based food in German food retailing

23-Aug-2023 - Germany

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Germans' eating habits are changing significantly - hardly anyone knows this better than endori, manufacturer of plant-based meat and fish alternatives based on peas. With its latest shopper market study, the company provides exciting insights into the ever-growing world of plant-based foods. Based on an extensive long-term analysis, the facts and figures provide important insights into the changing purchasing behavior of German consumers in food retailing and point to new sales potential.

The results of endori's new shopper market study show that Germany is in the midst of a nutritional turnaround. The acceptance of plant-based food is remarkable: every third shopper regularly chooses meat substitutes and loyalty is increasing. The nutritional turnaround is now reaching the heart of society: Goodbye niche! This is made clear by the fact that supply and demand for plant-based alternatives are growing in all sales channels, including the discount segment. Young and old alike are increasingly buying plant-based products across the generations.

In the first half of 2023, the meat, sausage and fish alternatives category saw year-over-year sales growth of 4 percent. What the study also makes clear is that meat substitutes are a growth driver for German food retailers. What's particularly exciting about this is that shopper reach and the number of shopping trips continue to rise - as does the repurchase rate at an extremely high level.

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Plant-based food category continues to develop positively

Plant-based alternatives based on vegetables, herbs and mushrooms are in strong demand - they are the driving factor behind the category's growth. While sales of soy fell by 13 percent, the vegetable/herb/mushroom category recorded an impressive 36 percent increase. For two-thirds of shoppers, the plant-based protein source is a decisive purchasing criterion, with pea showing the highest relevance at 72 percent!

Overall, the study forecasts enormous growth potential for plant-based food products in German retail. Based on current purchasing behavior, the market is expected to reach a sales volume of up to 1 billion euros by 2025 at the latest.

Roland Stroese, CEO of Nature's Richness Group (parent company of endori), even expects the target to be reached earlier: "Despite various scenarios of societal change and ongoing inflation, we see a clear shift in people's dietary behavior, which manifests itself in the growing popularity of the plant-based alternatives category. The market for plant-based substitutes is picking up. We may well reach the €1 billion sales mark as early as the end of next year."

Although the current total sales volume of plant-based food is still small compared to that of meat products, there is plenty of room for growth. However, growth of plant-based food has significant benefits for society as a whole - so it is also crucial that policy measures keep pace. Roland Stroese: "A decisive factor in the necessary rapid breakthrough of electromobility, for example, was its temporary enormous fiscal support - appropriate framework conditions are at least as important for a climate-compatible future diet for us humans. A socially desirable impulse for accelerating the nutritional turnaround could, for example, be a temporary substantial tax exemption for meat substitutes."

Knowledge and know-how strengthen market position

"Our role as a manufacturer extends beyond the production of plant-based food products. Tapping into new raw materials, developing innovative and resource-efficient manufacturing methods, and a deep understanding of the market are critical to driving the category forward," Stroese explains. "The study highlights the clear desires and expectations of our customers today. We are responding by producing what they demand. For us, this knowledge-based understanding of customers is an essential component on our path to market leadership."

The endori long-term study started in the summer of 2022, analyzing the space and assortment structures of 100 stores in collaboration with the consultancy F&T Shoppermarketing. The study includes the evaluation of focus groups, accompanied shopping, POS surveys and online surveys of 2,500 consumers across all target groups.

Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.

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