The consumption of meat in Germany hit an all-time low in 2023, with fewer people opting for it, according to national data.
According to figures from the Federal Information Centre for Agriculture (BZL), total annual meat consumption decreased by 0.8% year-on-year to 51.6kg.
This sets a new record low for the country, following a decrease to 52kg per person in 2022.
While the drop two years ago was primarily due to pork, the category of combined beef and veal products experienced the most significant percentage decrease in 2023. Per capita consumption in this category decreased by nearly 5% to 8.9kg.
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The consumption of pork products decreased by 2.1%, reaching 27.6kg per person.
Conversely, per capita consumption of poultry rose by 7.3% to 13.1kg.
Chicken products experienced the least decrease in consumption since 2018, with a decline of 2.2%.
On the other hand, beef and veal consumption has decreased by 16.8% over the past five years, and the number of people consuming pork has fallen by almost 20%.
The BZL characterized the overall decline as a “long-term trend,” attributing it to “changing diets,” among other factors.
It further stated, “An overall heightened awareness of the impact of high meat consumption on personal health, the climate, and the environment is also likely a contributing factor.”
The BZL noted that the decline in meat consumption in 2023 was accompanied by a reduction in meat imports, which encompassed decreases in fresh meat, meat products, and canned goods imports.
According to the report, imports of pork products have experienced a “steady” decline, dropping by 8.1% from 2022 to 961,600 tonnes.
Meanwhile, exports witnessed a 13.3% decline in 2023, totaling 2.2 million tonnes.
As per the BZL’s report, meat production has suffered, although the impact varies among different categories. Pork production declined by 6.8%, reaching 4.2 million tonnes, whereas beef and veal output increased by 0.5% to 1 million tonnes. Poultry production experienced the highest growth, rising by 1.4% to 1.52 million tonnes.
Earlier this year, preliminary figures released by Destatis showed a 4% decline in meat production to 6.8 million tonnes.
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