Eastern Europe

Consumers are paying more attention to the safety and origin of food and drinking milk products, and are looking to support local brands as much as possible. This is especially true as the economy falters. A national food designation scheme entitled…

In 2023, drinking milk products continued to witness negative volume growth, due in part to reduced time spent at home cooking and a falling population. On the other hand, drinking milk products saw positive growth in current value terms, as…

The dairy products and alternatives category is on course to experience limited growth in retail volume and current value sales in 2023. The unstable economic climate is hindering retail volume sales with the increase in fuel prices and the war in…

The dairy and alternatives category in Bulgaria has been severely impacted by high inflation rates against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine and the country’s political crisis. Dairy prices increased enormously in 2022 and continued to grow slightly…

Lactose-free varieties have gained popularity at the expense of standard cheese in 2023. While this is partly due to the well-established tendency towards rising health awareness among the population, many consumers have also become more willing to…

The consumption of cheese rose marginally in 2023 after two years of decline caused by a shift back towards out-of-home entertaining and travelling in the post-pandemic era. Foodservice sales grew significantly and are exceeding pre-pandemic levels…

Despite the recovery of pre-pandemic lifestyles, with Croatians returning to office workplaces and spending less time at home, margarine sales continue to decrease. In recent years, margarine has been labelled as a less healthy option than butter,…

Butter and spreads continue to witness decline in retail volume sales due to price inflation. Butter was among the food categories with the highest price growth in 2022 as players faced soaring costs. Retail prices continued to increase in the first…

Baby food is predicted to experience an increase in current value sales in 2023. Nonetheless, a significant portion of this value growth will be influenced by price hikes due to various factors, such as the escalation of energy prices and the ongoing…

In 2023, most baby food subcategories continue to show positive growth, both in retail volume and current value terms. Despite the country’s declining birth rate, there is growing demand for specialised baby food among Bulgarian mothers, with mothers…

Private label offerings like those of Dr Max, Tesco, Action, Lidl and Benu are steadily growing in popularity in sticking plasters/adhesive bandages. The economic shock of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and high inflationary pressure on prices…

With Romanian consumers having returned to more active lifestyles in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, there has been an increased incidence of minor injuries. The greater engagement in physical exercise amongst health conscious consumers and children…

Having experienced a slowdown during the height of the pandemic, wound care showed signs of greater stability in 2023. This was largely attributable to the rollback of stringent pandemic-related restrictions and a gradual decrease in the public's…

2023 is another year of the wound care category returning to its pre-pandemic sales level. Consumers have resumed their usual active lifestyles following the outbreak of COVID-19. Both adults and children have returned to sports, hiking and other…

According to the Czech Statistical Office, Czech consumers have gained weight. The body mass index (BMI) rose from 25.2 in 2017 to 26.2 in 2022. For a healthy weight, BMI should reach a maximum of 25. In 2022,18% of women and 21% of men suffered from…

According to official statistics, 58% of the Romanian adults are overweight. Another significant cause for concern is that, of children aged between 7 and 9 years old, 30% are overweight and around 15-20% are obese. Even though Romania is just below…

The prevalence of obesity has been increasing in Poland in recent years, with around 25% of the adult population estimated to be obese. Indeed, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), life expectancy in Poland…

Weight management products continue to have a low consumer base in Estonia. For many consumers, these products are not top of mind or the first choice for tackling weight loss. Still, category growth was registered as some consumers use these…

The market size of vitamins is projected to continue to decrease over 2023, following spikes in demand in 2020 and/or 2021. After two years of record-high retail volume sales, the category has lost momentum, which is only logical given heightened…

In the context of rising consumer health consciousness, many Romanian consumers are coming to perceive their daily habits as unhealthy. For example, many consumers are becoming aware of their irregular eating and inadequate water intake. As they come…