Thrift characterizes the out-of-home market in 2003

After the price shock in 2002, German consumers continued to reduce their visits to restaurants and snack bars in 2003 and also saved on expenses. In classic service catering, hotels and specialty restaurants in particular are suffering from the reticence, while in the fast food segment, delivery services are losing customers. More often than before, ready-to-eat meals are taken home from fast-food restaurants or snack bars, not least in order to save on the purchase of drinks that are cheaper at home.

The new market study by the ZMP Central Market and Price Report Office GmbH and the CMA Centrale MarketingGesellschaft der deutschen Agrarwirtschaft mbH, which was published on the basis of data from Intelect Marktforschung GmbH. The study breaks down the demand structures in the various gastronomy segments and provides, among other things, detailed data on the age and gender of the customers as well as on consumer behavior by region and town size, by time of day and day of the week.

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ZMP Eastern Europe Forum on 14./15. October 2004 in Berlin

Six months after the accession of eight Central and Eastern European countries as well as Malta and Cyprus, there are no signs of major market distortions in the major agricultural products. But does everything really go so smoothly? Which developments on the agricultural markets are emerging in the future? How do consumers in the new member states react to the expanded range?

Well-known speakers from home and abroad will evaluate the latest developments in the markets for pigs, cattle, milk, poultry and grain at the ZMP Eastern Europe Forum. The conference on October 15, 2004 in the Dorint Novotel Berlin Mitte is preceded by a supporting program on October 14, 2004. The conference language is German, the presentations will be simultaneously translated into English. At www.zmp.de/foren interested parties can find all further information on the Eastern Europe Forum and the conditions for participation.

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(22 to 24 November 2004, Frankfurt am Main)

According to the advocates, RFID is an innovation without which nothing will work in the future. And the opponents explain that RFID is an illusion because the technology is not very mature, the standards have not yet been clarified and questions of security and privacy are still open. Project practitioners warn that RFID should not be introduced at any price and advise that the decision for or against radio tags should be based purely on strategic aspects. More than 40 experts at the EUROFORUM conference “RFID 2005” from November 22 to 24, 2004 in Frankfurt will provide decision-making aids and the necessary specialist knowledge. Important basic knowledge and numerous practical examples from various sectors prepare the participants for an informed discussion about the use of RFID.

During the plenary day, Prof. Elgar Fleisch (Head of the Institute for Technology Management, University of St. Gallen; Co-Chair Auto-ID Labs & M-Lab) will present operational and strategic potential benefits from a business administration perspective and explain his vision of the RFID transponder to the smart product. When asked why RFID is an important topic, the co-founder of Intellion AG Elgar Fleisch answered the organizer: “With RFID and other ubiquitous computing technologies, information systems are getting eyes and ears for the first time. Previously, they had to be fed with data by people using keyboards and barcode readers, which was very time-consuming. Now, RFID allows much more and much more accurate data about the real world to be collected automatically, and at a much lower cost. In a first step, RFID leads to safer, faster and thus more efficient processes, in a second step to new smart products and services.”

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If you buy meat or sausages from the service counter in the supermarket, the hygienic conditions are often not what you might expect. A current investigation by the AK Verbraucherschützer found that due to the defects found, two thirds of the service counters were only classified as "average" to "unsatisfactory". The prescribed hygiene facilities were often missing, the cutting machines or showcases were not clean enough, the cooling was poor, the temperature displays were inaccurate and the best-before dates were exceeded or incorrect. Hygienic deficiencies were also frequently found in the preparation areas and sales showcases. The AK calls for more self-monitoring by the companies and consistent controls by the food supervisory authority. ##|n##Study of sales outlets for meat and sausage products in Viennese supermarkets ##|n##Survey June 2004##|n##

(Meat and sausage sales in operation, sales shelves for the sale of freshly pre-packaged fresh meat or meat that is not pre-packaged in the branch)

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The number of farms is rapidly declining

The number of farms in Germany that earn their money with pig farming has decreased noticeably in the past year. According to the preliminary results of the most recent livestock census in May of this year, there were only 91.500 farms nationwide on which pigs were kept, which was 16,2 percent or 17.600 farms fewer than in May 2003 account of the old federal states; there, only 85.600 farms were recently involved in pig farming, 16,8 percent fewer than a year ago. In the new federal states, the Federal Statistical Office counted 5.800 pig farmers, which was 6,4 percent fewer than in May 2003.

Since the number of pigs "only" shrank by 2,8 percent to around 25,61 million head, the average stock per remaining pig farmer in Germany increased by around 39 pigs to 280 animals. The stocks in West Germany grew by 36 to an average of 257 pigs per farm, in East Germany the average herd size increased by 38 to a good 623 animals within a year.

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Boiled sausages and cured meats are the favourites

Sausage consumption in Germany, which had fallen significantly in 2001 and 2002 due to the BSE crisis on the beef market, recovered significantly in 2003. According to data from the German Butchers' Association, sausage consumption increased to 31,1 kilograms last year, after only 2001 kilograms in 30,3 and 2002 kilograms in 30,5. In 2000, 31,8 kilograms per capita and year were consumed.

Boiled sausages – including meat sausages and beer sausages – are in first place with a per capita consumption of 7,4 kilograms, followed by cured products, i.e. the entire range of ham and smoked meat, in second place with 5,8 kilograms. Most recently, Germans consumed 5,4 kilograms of raw sausages such as salami, Landjäger or Mettwurst, and 4,2 kilograms of small sausages – from Viennese to Frankfurters. Cooked sausages such as liver sausage and black pudding account for 3,0 kilograms of the total per capita consumption.

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Graphic shows large differences in poultry

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Emotional logo is a symbol of naturalness and warmth

The traditional brand iglo is changing its entire brand identity this year. The new iglo world appears in a modern and warm design. For the consumer, the relaunch is primarily recognizable by a changed color scheme and a revised logo. The current trademark with the iglo fork will be replaced by a logo that symbolizes naturalness and warmth in particular. The first steps towards realizing the new brand image are currently being taken in production with the changeover to the updated packaging design. From the end of July, the first packaging will go on sale. The conversion should be largely complete by the end of the year.

The changed, emotional brand image was received very positively in extensive consumer tests (1). The new logo evokes positive associations such as "warmth", "naturalness", "leaf" and "wave" in consumers and, in the opinion of most respondents, fits in perfectly with the iglo brand.

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The Aachener Zeitung dealt with the possible consequences of the new EU hygiene law in the meat sector, which is to come into force in 2006. Experts from the butchers' association and from the monitoring department are interviewed and spoken to butchers from the Aachen area: Düren district. The Federal Environment Minister wants to introduce a labeling requirement for all food that is sold loose at a counter.

Now our newspaper found out: The ministry has even more up its sleeve for butchers. And that - according to the opinion of many butchers - could mean the end for many medium-sized businesses. From 2006, new hygiene regulations will apply in the EU.

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DLG convenience competition 2004: 2.100 products from 240 manufacturers on the quality test bench

The Olympic Games in Athens have hardly ended when the “Olympics” for convenience products begin in Bad Salzuflen: Frozen products, chilled ready meals, delicatessen and self-service packaged fresh meat are tested for quality in the exhibition halls for four days. And as in Athens, there is also a gold, silver or bronze medal for particularly good performance.

A total of 2.100 products from 240 manufacturers have entered the voluntary DLG convenience competition. This corresponds to a sample increase of 6,5% compared to the previous year. DLG project manager Bianca Schneider is very pleased about this; she also sees great potential for growth in the coming years. Because companies are increasingly supplementing their own quality assurance and communication with DLG medals as neutral, credible proof of quality in the face of an increasingly critical consumer base. 

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Making the advantages of frozen food more public - high quality level - criticism of misleading consumers

"No industrially or handcrafted product ends up on the consumer's plate fresher than from the freezer." This statement was made by Prof. Dr. Jörg Oehlenschläger, scientific director of the quality competition for frozen food of the German Agricultural Society (DLG), now in Bad Salzuflen. The largest international quality competition for convenience food (frozen food, ready meals, delicatessen, self-service packaged fresh meat) took place there.

Freezing is the ideal and most gentle method of maintaining a product's shelf life over a long period of time - without sacrificing freshness, quality, taste or nutrients. "This has been confirmed for years by the results of the DLG quality competitions," says Prof. Oehlenschläger. Despite the many reports about frozen food, the message about "freshness from the freezer" is not yet well known to the public or has been forgotten. It is therefore no wonder for the expert that the tried and tested frozen food has faced massive competition: from “fresh convenience products that need to be chilled”, also known as chilled food. According to the growth forecasts of leading market researchers, they are currently and will continue to be very popular with consumers and retailers. They suggest a high degree of "freshness", which consumers appreciate very much. "There is nothing to be said against the quality of these products," emphasized the DLG expert. However, he criticized "that consumers are misled by the term freshness." Because these products in the refrigerated counter are not generally "fresh", but rather subject to the "freshness decay" depending on the storage time, which of course nobody communicates. "A qualitative emphasis, especially compared to frozen products, is not justified," emphasized Oehlenschläger. This development shows him "that the deep-frozen sleep in our freezers has to stop and that the many obvious advantages of this form of supply have to be made public again".

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