Monday March 22, 2021
Consumption at the lowest level
Germans disdain meat more often
Never since the beginning of the calculations have Germans ate so little meat on average. Per capita consumption will drop by 750 grams in 2020. However, there are clear differences between the animal species that are consumed.
The per capita consumption of meat in Germany fell to a decade low in 2020. At 57.3 kilograms per person, consumption was lower than ever since consumption was calculated in 1989. This is evident from the preliminary data from the meat supply balance presented by the Federal Information Center for Agriculture (BZL). According to this, a total of 750 grams less meat was eaten per person compared to 2019.
However, there are differences depending on the species. In particular, the consumption of pork fell and is noticeable in the preliminary statistics with a minus of 940 grams per capita. For beef and veal, too, it was 40 grams less than in 2019. In contrast, the consumption of poultry meat increased by 180 grams.
Meat production and foreign trade also fell. According to the information, meat with a slaughter weight of 8.5 million tons was produced in 2020 – around 1.6 percent less than in 2019. For pork there was a decrease in production of 2.4 percent, for beef and veal it was 2.7 percent less. However, the net production of poultry meat rose by 1.7 percent in line with consumption.
The import and export of meat fell noticeably in the pandemic year. Last year, for example, Germany imported live animals with a slaughter weight of just under 653,000 tons – 14.8 percent less than in 2019. There was also an eleven percent decline in exports – just under 453,000 tons. The imports and exports of meat, meat products and canned food fell by 7.8 and 6.5 percent compared to 2019, respectively.
The BZL belongs to the Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE). The federal authority is in turn located at the Ministry of Agriculture.
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