German Meat Consumption Hits Another Record Low at 51.6kg

Meat consumption in Germany has fallen to another record low, with the average German eating 51.6kg of meat in 2023, 430 grams less than the year before.

The provisional figures come from the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE), which published its annual meat balance today. In its own words:

The long-term trend towards a lower meat consumption in Germany continues in 2023. On the basis of the new calculation method, the provisional figures provided by the Federal Information Centre for Agriculture (BZL) show that the consumption of meat per capita fell by 430 grams to 51.6 kilograms in 2023.

The reasons for the decline in meat consumption may include changes in people's diets.

The BLE adds that a universally heightened awareness of what eating a lot of meat does to people's health, the climate and the environment may also play a role. That's a government agency saying it, not us (although we'd say it too).

Pork, the backbone of the German sausage, took the biggest hit in weight, down almost 600 grams to 27.5kg per person. Beef and veal fell by almost 5% to 8.9kg. Poultry was the only meat to grow, rising about 900 grams to 13.1kg. Pork production fell by 6.8% to 4.2 million tonnes, and Germany's self-sufficiency in meat dropped from 125% to 120%.

As Clean Energy Wire reports, that makes it the lowest level since records began in 1991, although the BLE stresses these are provisional figures that will be finalized later in the year. The BLE has also recalculated the figures back to 2010 using its new method, so this is a like-for-like comparison and the trend is real.

This is a country that famously loves its bratwurst, so the shift is a big deal. Germany has some of Europe's most enthusiastic plant-based shoppers, and supermarket shelves have been filling up with vegan sausages, schnitzels and ground meat alternatives for years now.

The health case keeps getting stronger too. The World Health Organization classifies processed meat as a Group 1 carcinogen, the same category as tobacco smoke for strength of evidence, and red meat as "probably carcinogenic". Every kilo less on the plate is good news for German hearts and bowels.

We reported when Germans were eating less meat than at any time since records began, and again when consumption fell to a record low of 52kg per person. Meanwhile Germany's biggest sausage maker now sells more veggie than meat and Lidl Germany cut the price of its vegan range to match meat. It all started with Germany banning meat at official functions back in 2017.

Less wurst, more veg. The trend only goes one way.