Germany Fresh Food Packaging Market - Strategic Insights and Forecasts (2024-2029)

The Germany fresh food packaging market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 4.58% from about US$0.36 billion in 2024 to US$0.45 billion by 2029.

The Germany fresh food packaging^[1] market is driven by several key drivers, such as rising health consciousness among consumers, concern about contamination in food and busy lifestyles is going to increase the demand for ready-to-eat fresh food products. For instance, as per CBI Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Germany's reliance on fresh fruit and vegetables is increasing enormously and it is the largest importer of vegetables in Europe and the second-largest importer of fruit, following the Netherlands in 2023.  This is likely to bring more demand for packaged fresh fruit in the Germany market.

Morover, the rising debates and concerns regarding environmental pollution due to plastic packaging is expected to surge the need for recycled plastic packaging in upcoming years worldwide. For instance, in April 2022, Mondi, a leading player in the packaging and paper industry, launched its two new recyclable packaging products at Anuga FoodTec in Cologne, Germany. The paper-based tray and semi-rigid plastic tray are its unique products that result in high-barrier food protection, therefore representing the growing importance of packaging in the fresh food industry and reducing food waste.

Furthermore, the demand for eco-friendly technologies to supply the utmost fresh quality of food is anticipated to boost the market growth till the forecast period in different cities of Germany. Additionally, the emphasis by other European countries towards the reduction in waste material during food packaging will contribute to several innovations in upcoming years.

 Similarly, in March 2022, ALPLA Group significantly expanded its PET recycling capacity in Germany by acquiring Texplast from the FROMM Group and all shares in PET Recycling Team Wolfen. This acquisition increased the company's annual processing volume in Germany to 75,000 tonnes of PET bottles. 

The Germany fresh food packaging market is projected to grow at a steady rate which is attributable to the surge in the country’s fresh food demand coupled with the growing import of consumer-oriented agricultural products. In addition, the bolstering growth in the food & beverage sector coupled with efforts to promote sustainability in food packaging have further paved the way for future market expansion.

• The rising online grocery shopping and e-commerce is anticipated to propel market growth.

Germany has seen an increase in online grocery shopping as well as the food delivery industry which is due to the rising online population. The online population in Germany is expected to grow multifold, reflecting potential growth prospects in long term. For instance- as per the International Trade Administration, the online population in the country reached up to 68.4 million in the year 2025 from 62.4 million in 2020. This will result in rising demand for the home delivery of packaged food and fresh groceries and will involve additional packaging to withstand and handle the transportation leading to the rise in demand for packaging fresh food industry in Germany.

• The poultry and meat products segment is anticipated to propel market growth.

Germany is amongst the leading milk-producing nations and in 2022, the country recorded a production output of 31.9 million tons. According to the Federation of German Foods and Drinks Industries, 2023 annual report, in 2022, milk and dairy products accounted for around 17.1% of the total in Germany’s food processing sector whereas meat products accounted for nearly 21.5% share. The country is witnessing an increase in its consumption trend of milk and dairy products such as cheese, and yogurt among others.

According to the European Dairy Association, in 2023, milk supply in Germany experienced an increase of 1.5%, by 0.4 million tons overall. Moreover, as per the same source, the country also witnessed a moderate increase in its cheese consumption. With such growing consumption, the demand for packaging solutions that provide longer shelf life and preserve overall product quality is also expected to increase.

Moreover, the bolstering growth in the country’s population, growing health consciousness & vegan culture coupled with improvement in consumer per capita consumption have further paved the way for future market growth. According to the World Bank, in 2022, Germany’s population stood at 83.797 million which represented a 0.7% increase.

The government initiatives in the country are anticipated to result in a favorable impact on market growth. These include various steps to tackle the growing waste and pollution issue such as the ban on single-use plastic. Further, significant investment measures to bolster sustainable material adoption, especially in the food & beverage sector for packaging applications will propel the demand for more packaging needs in coming years. Country’s major. Such investments and subsidies have provided new growth prospects for the adoption of sustainable packaging material in Germany’s food & beverage sector.

Key Market Developments:

• Coveris showcased its latest sustainable dairy packaging innovations at FachPack 2022 in Nuremberg, Germany, introducing its latest products, which are recyclable and made from reduced plastic, following successful launches in the UK. 

Key Players:

• Sealed Air’s major corporate strategy is to create unparalleled customer packaging solutions by employing advanced materials, integrated automation, digital, and sustainability. Further, the company strives towards achieving its ambitious goal of reaching a carbon zero target by 2040 through its sustainable business operations. This is accompanied by the company’s successful execution of its sustainability strategy. The company set a goal to reduce 25% of the greenhouse emissions in its operation by 2020, but the company exceeded its goal and achieved 44% less emissions.

• Mondi is one of the leading providers of food packaging solutions and the company provides various paper-based fresh food packaging solutions for the German market.

• DS Smith’s dedicated packaging solutions for food & beverages emphasize improving well-being and personal health.

• Smurfit Kappa is an FTSE-100 company that provides paper-based packaging solutions for the packaging industry. The company is one of the leading providers of corrugated packaging solutions in Europe.

Germany Fresh Food Packaging Market Scope