Supermarkets say no” to cheap meat – where will the change lead?

Supermarkets say no” to cheap meat – where will the change lead?

In a remarkable turnaround, supermarkets and discounters in Germany have decided to permanently stop selling cheap meat. This is a clear sign of a change in consumer habits and the increasing desire for better animal husbandry conditions. According to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture's 2024 Nutrition Report, 92% of consumers are dissatisfied with the current housing conditions and are demanding improvements. Aldi Süd announced that it would stop using its own brand fresh meat from the lowest farming method 1 from mid-January 2026, thus getting the first ball rolling. Rewe and Penny will follow suit, while Lidl has already achieved its goal of largely eliminating cheap meat by February 2026, like Wetterauer newspaper reported.

The conversion of the large retail chains shows that the pressure on the meat industry is growing. Aldi Nord, Kaufland, Edeka and Netto have already converted pork and poultry, but the sale of fresh beef at the lowest level will remain in place for the time being. Aldi Nord justifies this with limited offers and customers' price sensitivity. The intensity of the discussion about animal welfare and quality farming methods is becoming increasingly unavoidable, as consumers are increasingly willing to dig deeper into their pockets for meat from higher farming standards. 44% of people perceive products with a higher level of husbandry to be healthier, and the willingness to pay higher prices for better animal welfare is also high Mirror.

Costs and price increases

However, switching to meat from higher farming levels also has its downsides. Consumers must prepare for higher prices resulting from increased costs for energy, feed, wages and logistics. In September 2023, the price of ground beef was already 70% higher than in 2020, while ground pork and fresh poultry meat also cost 60% and 45% more, according to data from the Wetterauer newspaper emerges. In 2023, only 1.5% of pork came from the lowest farming method 1, while for turkeys and chickens no meat from this level could be found in the refrigerated shelf. However, a large proportion of the beef - over three quarters - remains from the lowest farming system.

Current developments show that consumers are willing to pay for higher quality products, even if this means higher prices. A rethink has taken place in society: more and more people are actively interested in the origins and living conditions of the animals they consume. This signals a cultural change that presents both industry and politics with new challenges.