Domestic Households Opted for Fresh Produce More Often in 2024

Customers are buying fewer ready-made products, which are more expensive than fresh goods. Currently, dairy products such as yogurts, quark, and cheese, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables, are particularly popular. There is a trend towards "convenience" products that can be prepared quickly. This is evident in the case of sliced and grated cheese, whose market shares in retail have increased compared to block cheese, according to market researcher Micaela Schantl from AMA Marketing.

AMA Observes Increase in Share of Plant-Based Products

The basis for these observations is the so-called rolling agricultural market analysis (RollAMA), which consists of records from 2,800 households about their grocery purchases. It includes fresh products such as meat and poultry or fruits and vegetables. Products consumed outside one's own household are not included. According to the data, in 2024, the purchase volumes in the grocery trade increased by 2.1 percent compared to the previous year. The data also reveals that the share of plant-based products has recently risen slightly compared to animal products, even though the two categories remained roughly balanced last year with a ratio of 52.2 percent to 47.8 percent. In this context, Mutenthaler-Sipek highlighted the importance of discount promotions, which are mainly used for animal-based products. In general, such promotions were utilized for about one-third of the entire RollAMA shopping basket, with discount stickers also included in the data - one reason why the promotion density is particularly high for more expensive meat.

Domestic Households Buy Chicken Meat More Often

There have been recent shifts in meat consumption behavior. The share of chicken meat, in particular, has increased significantly over the long term: while chicken accounted for 17.9 percent of the market in 2014, it rose to 26 percent ten years later. In contrast, the share of beef and veal across all meat types decreased from 13.7 to 10.8 percent. Schantl cited the Europe-wide shortage of cattle supply and the resulting price increases as reasons. The data also shows the effects of climate change, especially concerning apples, where the purchase volume decreased by almost 6 percent compared to 2023. Harvest failures due to weather anomalies such as late frost were noticeable. Mutenthaler-Sipek gave reassurance regarding the tense situation in egg supply. Around Easter, no one needs to worry about these products, and prices are expected to remain stable.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.