Plant-based alternatives generate more sales in Germany than ever before

According to a study by GFI Europe based on data from Circana and the CPS/GfK consumer panel, Germany is Europe’s largest plant-based food market. Sales of plant-based meat substitutes grew by 6% to €922 million in 2023, while average weekly revenue for the segment grew by 9% and sales volume by 16% at the start of 2024.

The growth was driven mainly by supermarket and discount chains’ own brands. For example, fish alternatives were on average 22% cheaper than branded products in 2023. Although plant-based meat and fish alternatives are still more expensive than their animal-based counterparts, the price difference has narrowed from 65% in 2021 to 35% at the beginning of 2024.

The market for plant-based dairy products also showed strong growth, with sales of plant-based milk increasing by 11% to €805 million, while sales of plant-based cream increased by 38% to €74 million. In contrast, sales of plant-based desserts fell by 7%.

Although the share of plant-based foods in the overall market is still low (around 2.3% in 2023 in terms of volume), consumers are increasingly open towards plant-based food: a YouGov survey found that 30% would consume more plant-based meat substitutes and 46% plan to reduce their consumption of animal products.

Lebensmittelpraxis