New German Food Trends that are here to stay

FTI-Andersch is a consultancy focussed on corporate restructuring.  One of its partners recently wrote an article which appeared in the Lebensmittelzeitung on what he considers to be the 5 most important recent food trends.

The first 3 trends (snackification, ghost locations and immediate delivery) were all accelerated by both the recent lockdowns and fast reaction by more enterprising elements of the foodservice industry.

1. Snackification – Many people spent the lockdown in home-office.  The traditional classical split of breakfast/lunch/dinner has merged into smaller portions of snackfood, to be consumed whenever time was available. Food experts see this as healthier than eating at 3 larger eating events.  Snackfood is moving rapidly from an unhealthy to a more healthy basis (smaller portions, higher quality) indeed similar to Spanish tapas or Asian food.  Like home-office, this trend is here to stay and is a big opportunity for food retail and foodservice.
2. Ghost kitchens –  Some restaurant owners managed within a few weeks to reinvent their business and convert to high-quality home delivery or pick-up, competing with already established pizza or döner delivery services.  Consumers quickly took on the concept  of eating Michelin-star dishes in their own home environment and without having to cook themselves.
3. From Organic to Organic & Regional – Traval over the last 18 months has been either difficult or impossible.  This has led many people to look in more detail at their local environment, local food stores and farmers‘ markets.  Similarly, more and more restaurants name the source of their raw materials, eg their meat and vegetables during the asparagus season.
4. One-stop shopping –  The demise of Germany’s department stores did not come about overnight.  Purchasing behavior has been evolving over the years, moving into boutiques, specialist outlets etc.  Some operators understood these trends and opened shop-in-shop concepts, ran special brand promotions or even opened a fine-dining outlet within their premises.  During lockdown, people developed a need for one-stop shopping.  In the longterm we will continue to see food retailers that just copy discounters.  But also those that develop speciality sections with unique product ranges, promote regional produce, have experienced personnel such as EDEKA Zurheide in Düsseldorf.
5. Immediate Delivery – Home delivery of groceries before lockdown was a more or less underdeveloped business which post lockdown could not cope with the unexpected demand.  Nowadays, deliveries normally work within 2 or 3 days of ordering.  However, may people are not prepared to plan so far ahead and want to live a more spontaneous life.  Recent start-ups like the Oetker-owned Flaschenpost or Gorillas promote delivery within hours, not days.  Such companies are still at an early stage, but judging by their success in Asian markets, they too are a reality and here to stay.  And food retailers who do not react could potentially be about to lose a business sector to third-parties.