Emma Daly, Origin Green Ambassador, German Market
In a highly consolidated retail market with market saturation and price sensitivity, German consumers are looking to sustainable food products more and more.
Germany is the largest food and beverage retail market in Europe with 82 million consumers spending EUR 191 billion in 2015. A growing trend amongst German consumers is to buy less, and less often. In doing this, consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of the foods they do buy, with a growing focus on organic, fair trade, and health and wellness.
For newcomers to the German market, gaining access means recording smaller-scale successes by emphasising health benefits or unique production methods.
Perhaps a strange concept to the Irish consumer, a growing market opportunity within the German meat industry lies in emphasised convenience: sausage in a glass or can. If the sausage is organic, all the better.
In fact, organic food sales have increased by eleven percent in 2015 to reach EUR 8.6 billion, making Germany the frontrunner in the production and consumption of organic foods in Europe. Per capita sales in Germany are more than twice as high as the EU-28 average.
Many of these trends lie in the culture which has been developed in Germany where the quality of life is of great importance. The OECD Better Life Initiative found that to German people, the most important factors in life are life satisfaction, health and education.
So, it is no wonder that German consumers are becoming increasingly aware of their personal consumption, relying less on quantity but focusing on quality products with an added value to their health or wider society.