Fresh Food

Marking a notable shift in consumption patterns, retail demand for vegetables in Germany declined in 2023. Ongoing economic challenges and inflationary pressures remained an obstacle for many consumers when it came to purchasing fresh produce at the…

In 2023, retail volume sales of sugar in Germany ceased their declining trajectory and stagnated. Since the at-home baking trend peaked in 2020 and supported category growth following previous declines, 2023 witnessed sugar consumption levels…

Starchy root consumption in Germany experienced another year of decline in 2023, reflecting market dynamics and dietary trends affecting the category. The evolving dietary habits of consumers in Germany were one of the factors influencing this shift.…

In 2023, peas generally remained popular in Germany because they are deemed easy to use, have a mild taste, and are budget-friendly, which matters when prices are rising. Germans tend to eat peas in salads during the summer and in soups and stews in…

Nuts in Germany, usually seen as a healthy and appetising snack, became increasingly expensive in 2023 because of rising inflation. This has impacted consumers’ food choices and how they spend their money. Since nuts are often considered a treat,…

Retail demand for meat in Germany experienced another decline in 2023, influenced by several factors that reshaped dietary habits and consumer preferences, such as concerns about the health impacts associated with meat consumption, sustainability and…

While not dramatically, retail volume sales of fruits in Germany declined in 2023. Economic factors such as rising prices and inflation are likely to have contributed to the decline; higher food costs and reduced purchasing power among consumers…

As the effects of the pandemic gradually waned and had little impact on consumers and their purchasing patterns in 2023, inflation and price increases took the lead as the main socioeconomic factors shaping demand for fresh food in Germany. Despite…

The increasing awareness of sustainability issues and environmental concerns associated with fish and seafood production have contributed to the decline in the consumption of these fresh foods in Germany. Health considerations have also played a…

In 2023, as food prices remained high, some consumers in Germany turned to eggs as a cheap alternative to meat due to their perception as a healthy food choice. Therefore, despite a marginal retail volume decline in 2023, demand for eggs remained…

Technological advances in 2024 will continue to reshape consumer behaviour. This annual report explores the top five digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in this report’s edition…

Amidst surging prices, consumer consumption of fresh vegetables witnessed a heavy decline in retail volume terms in 2022. This price escalation varied across different product categories, with tomatoes standing out as one of the most affected.…

Sales of sugar and sweeteners in Spain continued to decline in retail volume terms in 2023, albeit at a far more modest rate than in the previous two years. Although sugar and sweeteners saw positive growth in current value terms in 2023 this was…

After seeing a steep decline in sales in retail volume terms in 2022 due to inflation and a shift towards more budget-friendly and convenient alternatives like frozen potatoes and ready-to-eat tortillas, the consumption of starchy roots displayed…

Sales of pulses experienced positive growth across all channels as consumers prioritised affordability. After a decline in retail volume terms in 2022 due to a general increase in food prices, the category saw a partial recovery in 2023. It is…

Nuts saw strong growth in current retail value terms in 2023 although this was primarily due to the ongoing impact of inflation. Nonetheless, the category also saw a return to growth in retail volume terms after recording declines in the previous two…

The volume of poultry and pork being consumed at home saw a small rebound in 2023 after a substantial decline in sales in 2021 and 2022, although sales remain below pre-pandemic levels. This growth was primarily driven by consumers shifting away from…

Inflation had a significant impact on consumer spending behaviour in 2022 as the cost of living rose sharply which led to a notable decline in sales of fruits in retail volume terms, with the category continuing to record a small decline in sales in…

Spain saw a return to relative normality in 2023 with the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring the health crisis to be over. All COVID-19 related restrictions had been lifted by July 2023 which helped to boost consumer confidence and resulted in…

The retail consumption of fish and seafood continued to decline in 2023, albeit at a slightly slower pace than in the previous two years. This decline was primarily due to reduced purchasing power leading to an increased focus on essential goods and…

Despite ongoing price growth in the first half of 2023 sales of eggs saw a return to growth in retail volume terms after recording a decline in sales in the previous two years. Although higher prices adversely affected consumers, producers were able…

2022 was a difficult year for the vegetables category, as there was a drop in volume terms resulting from several factors, including a high rate of inflation and rising energy costs. The high rate of inflation led to an increase in vegetable prices,…

Total volume growth in vegetables remains relatively stable, albeit flat in the light of price rises, as certain products such as onions and tomatoes are staple ingredients in French cooking. However, the consumption of summer vegetables has been…

The sugar supply chain in Italy had to face various problems related to costs and raw materials in the last two years of the review period. Firstly, the production costs of sugar are already high due to the need to use advanced technologies to…

Sugar consumption continues to fall in France in retail terms, with sales otherwise supported by foodservice and institutional volume, alongside value being supported by inflationary price hikes. Local production in the 2022/2023 season was…

In 2022, volume sales of starchy roots declined in the Italian market. Meanwhile, from a production point of view, yields had been lower than expected and investments had been made. The main cause was the effects of climate change, with the weather…

The hot summer of 2022 led to a drop in the French potato harvest for the 2022/2023 season, with a decline in the yields from French growers. Whilst imports made up the shortfall in demand, the situation meant that prices have risen significantly in…

After a 2022 marked by a drop in consumption in retail volume terms, the pulses category returned to growth in Italy during 2023. This positive signal involved both the production and consumption of pulses in the country. On the production side,…

The performance of pulses tends to vary depending on economic factors. For example, tinned and canned pulses are perceived as offering better value-for-money as they require less cooking time and are more convenience, whilst fresh pulses need more…

Like all other fresh food categories, the nuts category has been greatly affected by problems related to the entire production chain. General increases in production and transportation costs, including the significant increase in shipping costs, have…

Sales in nuts manage to remain in positive volume figures, with growth stronger in foodservice and institutional volume than seen in retail volume. This is because consumers have returned to out-of-home lifestyles following the era of the pandemic…

In recent years, the meat category in Italy has been going through an uncertain phase, especially regarding supply. Several factors, such as high breeding costs and feed shortages, are negatively affecting the development of the meat category.…

Meat is seeing more positive volume growth in 2023, compared to 2022, despite the category experiencing some of the steepest price rises overall. That said, cheaper meats, such as pork, have compensated somewhat for the declines seen in more…

In 2023, fruit growers faced numerous challenges related to climate change. For example, severe flooding affected many growing areas in regions in the central north such as Emilia-Romagna, which lost a large part of its cherry crops. This situation…

Sales in fruits are seeing a mixed performance, as the category finds a balance between value and volume – lower unit prices support volume growth, whereas inflationary pressures mean higher value but lower volume consumption, especially regarding…

After the negative events that characterised 2022, including the war following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and high rates of inflation, retail volume sales of fresh food started to grow again in Italy in 2023. Italian consumers continued to…

Climate factors are influencing fresh food in France in 2023. After the significant heatwave in the summer of 2022, 2023 saw more rain with some hot spells and droughts in certain areas, which affected crops in the agricultural regions in different…

In 2023, the consumption of fresh fish continued to grow in terms of volume. There are several reasons behind this trend. Prominent amongst these is the health and wellness trend, with more and more people becoming aware of the beneficial effects of…

Sales of fish and seafood have fallen into the expected volume declines in 2023, due to high price rises alongside an ongoing drop in demand. The category is strongly supported by foodservice and institutional volumes, with the concept of fish on…

In the eggs category, 2022 was marked by a significant increase in production costs. This increase was mainly attributable to the rise in energy costs, production factors, and especially the surge in feed prices due to the outbreak of the war in…

Volume sales in eggs continue to be relatively stable, despite production having been significantly affected by the avian flu outbreak in France, with around 9.5% of the laying flock of hens affected by the epidemic since its start in 2021 –…

The global wheat market in 2023 has seen a recovery in supply, following tight global supply and skyrocketing wheat prices in 2022 resulting from the onset of the war in Ukraine. Increased wheat exports from Russia, readjustments of supply chains and…

Retail volume sales of vegetables in the UK continue to decline in 2023, primarily due to severe product shortages. For instance, there was a major shortage of vegetables in February and March 2023. For several weeks, products such as tomatoes,…

Following two consecutive years of double-digit declines, retail volume sales of sugar and sweeteners continue to fall in 2023. Droughts caused the cultivation campaign to be delayed in 2022, which negatively impacted sugar beet production.…

Extreme weather conditions in 2022 and 2023 have had an impact on the production of starchy roots in the UK and around the world. Droughts and hot weather occurred in 2022, while a wet spring and summer delayed the campaign for starchy roots in 2023.…

In 2023, retail demand for pulses in the UK continues to grow. As meat, fish and other animal proteins are increasing in price due to inflation and the rising cost of living, local consumers are looking for cheaper sources of protein, and one of…

Most fresh food categories were negatively impacted by extreme weather conditions in the UK and other countries over 2022 and 2023, which fluctuated between extreme heat and droughts and very wet climates. However, this was not the case for nuts, as…

Meat in the UK continues to see persistent inflationary pressures stemming from higher production costs, particularly in the areas of animal feed and energy. This has spilled down to consumers in the form of increased unit prices, combined with a…

Fruits in the UK are experiencing persistently high input costs, impacting their overall consumption. Despite the recommendations for higher fruit consumption, local consumers are struggling to meet these targets. The ongoing cost-of-living crisis…

2023 has presented considerable challenges and complexities for fresh food in the UK. Families are increasingly turning away from traditional staples such as fresh meat, fresh fruits, and vegetables due to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. This…