Conscious choice: 40% want meat 'Made in Germany'

The Vion Consumer Monitor 2024 shows:

• 38 per cent of all households consciously reject meat that does not come from Germany.
• Regionality is still very popular, but only 61 per cent are prepared to pay more for it.
• Top 3 when buying meat: quality, freshness, value for money.
• Indispensable: meat is and remains indispensable for nutrition

The results of the latest Vion Consumer Monitor, a representative survey conducted by Consumer Panel Services GfK in March-April 2024, show that meat from Germany is in demand among almost 40 per cent of Germans and that they even consciously avoid imported meat. This is in line with the regionality megatrend, which again received 75 per cent approval in 2024. Regionality plays an above-average role in all federal states and has ranked first among the four megatrends in meat purchasing – animal welfare, transparency, regionality and sustainability – since 2009. However, there are also differences: at 80 per cent, this statement is most popular in southern federal states such as Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. Bavaria is close behind with 79 per cent. At 70 per cent, households in Thuringia attach the least importance to the regional origin of meat products.

Regional meat yes, but only to a limited extent!

Regionality is very important for households that buy meat. But are Germans prepared to spend more money on it? For the past 13 years, over 70 per cent of the population have consistently been of the opinion that a good piece of meat can sometimes be more expensive. A remarkable benchmark that even held up in the inflation-dominated years of 2022 and 2023. However, “only” 61 per cent agree with the statement “I am prepared to spend more money on meat from my region”. Overall, price continues to play a more important role for almost half of German households (44 per cent) than, for example, regional origin.

Focus on meat quality: Top 3 purchasing criteria

“Good quality” is the most important purchasing criterion for all meat-buying households in Germany. And transparency is still the key here: 65 per cent of all households prefer meat that has been produced sustainably. And 60 per cent of Germans want information on animal husbandry (e.g. more space, access to the outdoors) when buying meat. “Good quality” is followed by “freshness of the products” and in last place on the podium is a good price-performance ratio on the top list of purchasing criteria. Good selection from the region comes in fourth place.

Trend towards conscious consumption: less, but regularly

The already declining per capita meat consumption is expected to continue in the coming years. At least more than half of all households estimate this. They cite health (50 per cent), sustainability (43 per cent), possible tax increases such as an animal welfare levy (40 per cent) and the general price increase (28 per cent) as reasons for the decline. Nevertheless, 68 per cent still want to eat meat regularly in three years’ time. After the image of the animal-based foodstuff had just come out of its slump in the previous year, things have been looking up since then. Overall, the perception of meat as an indispensable part of the diet has risen to 64 per cent (special survey Inflation September 2022: 57 per cent). This is the highest figure since 2018. In 2024, 55 per cent of Germans also agree with the statement that eating meat is healthy (2022: 48 per cent) – 7 percentage points more than two years earlier.

Large vs. small: less trust in large slaughterhouses

However, for the second time in a row, only 10 per cent (2023: 9 per cent) of Germans agree with the statement that the expected quality standards (e.g. hygiene and animal welfare) are higher in large slaughterhouses than in small ones. Yet it is precisely these establishments that are constantly driving up industry standards through strict controls and their own efforts.

“The public’s trust in meat as a natural food and its right to exist as part of a balanced diet is returning,” says Wilhelm Habres, Director National Sales Vion Germany, who has been in charge of the Vion Consumer Monitor since the beginning. “We must now build on this as an entire industry with the binding support of politicians and actively work to break down prejudices in society. We practise regionality, animal welfare and food safety at each of our locations. Our doors are open so that everyone can see for themselves how we implement and guarantee our high standards.”

About Vion Consumer Monitor

Since 2007, Vion has been surveying around 4,000 households annually in the GfK Consumer Panel and cross-referencing the results with actual purchasing data in order to obtain the most accurate and representative information possible on current and relevant topics. The long-term survey also provides exciting data on current developments and trends. The annual consumer study took place in March and April 2024, the extraordinary consumer study with over 2,000 households in the GfK Consumer Panel on the topic of inflation in September 2022. The GfK Consumer Panel is representative of all households in Germany with household heads aged 18 and over and continuously and electronically records purchases for private consumption. GfK Consumer Panel Services has been part of the YouGov Group since January 2024.