Foodservice revival reshapes fresh food demand in 2025
Germany’s fresh food industry recorded a slight increase in total volume sales in 2025, led by eggs growing while meat and fish and seafood post only marginal gains. Health, sustainability and sourcing transparency continue to steer consumption towards plant-based options and lighter proteins, supporting nuts and pulses, vegetables, poultry and selected seafood. Meat demand remained under pressure as consumers reduce intake and shift from red meat to chicken, alongside a quality-over-quantity focus including organic and higher animal welfare choices. Foodservice outperformed retail in volume growth across most categories as hospitality continued to rebound, while the forecast points to broadly flat total volume growth with foodservice gains offsetting mild retail declines. Supermarkets remained the leading retail channel while discounters rose on value positioning and e-commerce expanded from a small base through delivery and hybrid click-and-collect models.
Delivery:
Files are delivered directly into your account soon after payment is received and any tax certification is verified (where applicable).
This report comes in PDF with additional info in Excel included.
Overview:
Understand the latest market trends and future growth opportunities for the Fresh Food industry in Germany with research from Euromonitor International's team of in-country analysts – experts by industry and geographic specialisation.
Key trends are clearly and succinctly summarised alongside the most current research data available. Understand and assess competitive threats and plan corporate strategy with our qualitative analysis, insight and confident growth projections.
Data and analysis in this report provides further detailed coverage dedicated to the following key categories, where applicable:
- Eggs
- Fish and Seafood
- Fruits
- Meat
- Nuts
- Pulses
- Starchy Roots
- Sugar and Sweeteners
- Vegetables
If you're in the Fresh Food industry in Germany, our research will help you to make informed, intelligent decisions; to recognise and profit from opportunity, or to offer resilience amidst market uncertainty.
The Fresh Food in Germany report includes:
- Analysis of key supply-side and demand trends
- Detailed segmentation of international and local products
- Historic volume and value sizes
- Five year forecasts of market trends and market growth
- Robust and transparent research methodology, conducted in-country
This report answers:
- What is the market size of Fresh Food in Germany?
- What is the impact of commodity price fluctuations on local production and consumption?
- What are the key campaigns or legislation driving Fresh Food sales?
- How are consumer attitudes towards fresh food evolving?
- How significant is health and wellness in shaping consumer demand?
- Where is future growth expected to be most dynamic?
Fresh Food in Germany
Foodservice revival reshapes fresh food demand in 2025
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Eggs leads growth within fresh foods in 2025, while foodservice outpaces retail
Meat suffers as consumers shift towards plant-based diets
Health and sustainability concerns continue to shape progress and innovation
Flat growth forecast for fresh food in Germany
Prevailing trends will drive development, offering potential for growth
Supermarkets leads overall retail distribution, benefiting for expanding organic offerings
Discounters rises as consumers focus on value for money
COUNTRY REPORTS DISCLAIMER
Eggs in Germany
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Organic and free-range drive next phase for eggs
Stable demand for eggs as a household staple
Growing preference for ethical and sustainable production
Rising imports to meet ethical and organic demand
Expansion of online and direct-to-consumer channels
Fish and Seafood in Germany
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Import reliance and sustainability concerns shape fish and seafood demand
Consumers focus on convenience and affordable fish and seafood
Sustainability and supply challenges
Growing adoption as part of a healthy diet to boost fish and seafood sales
Sustainability and ethical sourcing shape category developments
Fruits in Germany
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Healthy eating sustains fruit growth amid intensified trading down
Inflation and price sensitivity shape consumer behaviour
Sustainability interest persists as premium willingness declines
Strong import demand and diversification of supply sources
Provenance and sustainability to provide impetus for the development of fruits
Meat in Germany
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Plant-based alternatives intensify pressure on meat volumes
Slow growth in meat consumption amid rise of flexitarianism
Inflation pressures reshape purchasing behaviour, while ethical and sustainability attributes drive innovation
Reduced consumption and rise of meat alternatives
Animal welfare comes to the fore
Nuts in Germany
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Plant-based snacking kept nuts in growth mode
Consumer spending shaped by inflation and cost-of-living concerns
Health awareness drives nut consumption despite economic pressure
Germany’s heavy reliance on imports creates opportunities for global suppliers
Digital retail and direct-to-consumer channels expand
Pulses in Germany
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Plant-based eating and global cuisines broadened the role of pulses
2025 sees rising demand for plant-based proteins
Culinary innovation and cultural integration
Expansion of domestic pulse cultivation
Integration into institutional and public nutrition
Starchy Roots in Germany
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Potatoes remain favourite though diets diversify starchy roots demand
Continued dominance of potatoes with growth in convenience formats
Rising interest in sweet potatoes and exotic starches
Diversity set to grow in starchy roots
Growth in sustainable and regional production
Sugar and Sweeteners in Germany
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Reformulation and moderation kept sugar and sweeteners near flat in 2025
Health-conscious consumption reduces sugar intake
Value-oriented purchasing and rise of private label
Innovation in low-calorie and functional sweeteners
Expansion of private label offerings
Vegetables in Germany
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Vegetables remain central to everyday meals as plant-based habits advance
Plant-based eating trend supports sales in vegetables
Inflation drives value-oriented purchasing
Expansion of local and seasonal vegetable production
Institutional adoption and public health integration
COUNTRY REPORTS DISCLAIMER
The following categories and subcategories are included:
Fresh Food
- Eggs
-
- Crustaceans
- Fish
- Molluscs and Cephalopods
-
- Apples
- Banana
- Cherries
- Cranberries/Blueberries
- Grapefruit/Pomelo
- Grapes
- Kiwi Fruit
- Lemon and Limes
- Oranges, Tangerines and Mandarins
- Peaches/Nectarines
- Pears/Quinces
- Pineapple
- Plums/Sloes
- Strawberries
- Other Fruits
-
- Beef and Veal
- Lamb, Mutton and Goat
- Pork
- Poultry
- Other Meat
-
- Almonds
- Coconuts
- Peanuts (Groundnuts)
- Pistachio
- Walnuts
- Other Nuts
-
- Beans
- Peas
- Other Pulses
-
- Cassava
- Potatoes
- Sweet Potatoes
- Other Roots
- Sugar and Sweeteners
-
- Cauliflowers and broccoli
- Maize
- Onion
- Tomatoes
- Other Vegetables
Fresh Food
Fresh Food refers only to fresh uncooked and unprocessed foods (packaged and unpackaged). Packaged sugar products and natural sweeteners (e.g. brown sugar, table sugar, molasses) are also included. For Fresh Food, we research total sales across distribution channels including retail, foodservice and institutions. For a selected 18 markets, we have a breakdown of total fresh food sales according to the following formats: • Retail • Foodservice sales • Institutional sales Retail Retail sales is defined as sales through all legal establishments primarily engaged in the sale of fresh, packaged and prepared foods for home preparation and consumption. Retail sales excludes sales to hotels, restaurants, cafés, duty free sales and institutional sales (canteens, prisons/jails, hospitals, army, etc). Our retail definition excludes the purchase of food products from foodservice outlets for consumption off-premises, eg grilled chicken/meat/fish bought from counters of cafés/bars. This falls under foodservice sales. For foodservice, we capture all sales to foodservice outlets, regardless of whether the products are eventually consumed on-premise or off-premise. We estimate sales through the following channels: Modern Grocery Retailers • Supermarkets • Hypermarkets • Discounters • Convenience stores • Forecourt retailers Traditional Grocery Retailers • Independent small grocers • Food/Drink/Tobacco Specialists • Other grocery retailers (morning/speciality/open/wet/farmers’ markets, stalls and kiosks, etc) Non-grocery retailers • Health and beauty specialist retailers • Other non-grocery retailers Non-store retailers • Homeshopping • Internet retailing • Vending • Direct selling Foodservice Foodservice sales are defined as sales TO consumer foodservice outlets that serve the general public in a non-captive environment. In other words, this means that the foodservice volumes track sales of all fresh food going into restaurant kitchens, regardless of what the restaurant actually does with that food. Foodservice outlets include cafés/bars, FSR (full-service restaurants), fast food, 100% home delivery/takeaway, self-service cafeterias and street stalls/kiosks. Sales to semi-captive foodservice outlets are also included. This describes outlets located in leisure, travel and retail environments. • Retail refers to foodservice units located in retail outlets such as department stores, shopping malls, shopping centres, super/hypermarkets etc. • Leisure refers to foodservice units located in leisure establishments such as museums, health clubs, cinemas, theatres, theme parks and sports stadiums. • Travel refers to foodservice units based in airports, rail stations, coach stations, motorway service stations offering gas facilities etc. Institutional sales Institutional sales is defined as sales to captive foodservice units that serve captive populations such as in hospitals, schools, prisons, military camps, hotels, hostels, nursing homes, homes for elderly people, religious houses, etc.
See all of our definitionsWhy buy this report?
- Gain competitive intelligence about market leaders
- Track key industry trends, opportunities and threats
- Inform your marketing, brand, strategy and market development, sales and supply functions
This report originates from Passport, our Fresh Food research and analysis database.
NEW REPORT GUARANTEE
If you purchase a report that is updated in the next 60 days, we will send you the new edition and data extraction Free!