2025
8
Germany Attitudes towards Bread and Bread Products Consumer Report 2025
2026-01-08T10:01:53+00:00
REP8304A70F_E5F5_4AFE_A4BD_FE30262F4330
2195
190176
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Report
en_GB
Easing inflation helped the German bread market stabilise in 2025. With German bakeries facing a continuous decline in numbers amidst labour shortages, retail has the opportunity to take up shares,…
Germany
Consumer Attitudes
Bread, Bakery and Cakes
simple

Germany Attitudes towards Bread and Bread Products Consumer Report 2025

"Shifting dietary habits are curbing bread consumption, driving brands to enhance indulgence for snacking, boost health to address processing concerns and embrace global influences."

Jack Friedlein, Research - Mintel Reports

Easing inflation helped the German bread market stabilise in 2025. With German bakeries facing a continuous decline in numbers amidst labour shortages, retail has the opportunity to take up shares, but needs to provide the quality assurance to match.

Younger consumers are turning from traditional mealtime consumption to snacks, leaving bread to raise its indulgence levels and compete with other snacking categories, such as sweet biscuits or crisp bread. Processing concerns further contribute to younger Germans’ slipping consumption, urging brands to focus on natural ingredients and provide sustenance to justify use.

Meanwhile, conventional breads are losing out to international formats amidst increased cultural exchange, leading to crossovers and reframing bread as an accompaniment rather than a meal base.

Nevertheless, bread consumption remains widespread, with bread bringing excitement to meals. Banking on local, artisan heritage can help brands convey quality to sway younger Germans and stay connected to older consumers.

This report looks at the following areas:

  • Market drivers for bread and bread products, including the impact of Germany’s economy on the market and bakery industry trends
  • Market sizing, forecast and segmentation of bread, with specialty bread gaining momentum
  • Usage of bread and bread products, exploring shifting consumption habits with a focus on the snackification of bread
  • Product features that interest consumers, discussing ingredients from local origin and nutritional demands
  • Attitudes and behaviours towards bread and bread products, focusing on health concerns and bread’s appeal for indulgence
  • Trends in launch activity and opportunities for further innovation in the bread and bread product industry
Collapse All
  1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

    • What you need to know
    • Outlook for attitudes towards bread and bread products – Germany
    • Opportunities
    • Showcase the story
    • Harness bread’s versatility
    • Broaden the base naturally
  2. THE MARKET

    • Snapshot – market size and forecast
    • Consumers see light on the economic horizon
    • Graph 1: producer price indices for agricultural products, by origin, 2020-25
    • Climate change is cropping volume sales
    • Bakeries are a dying breed
    • The age of AI is upon us
    • Breadmaking is booming
    • Cultural shifts are changing bread consumption
    • Market size and forecast
    • Market growth turns positive for bread and bread products
    • Graph 2: value market size for bread and bread products, 2020-25
    • Value sales are going to grow again
    • Graph 3: retail market value forecast for bread and bread products, 2019-30
    • Bread’s decline is set to slow in the second half of the 2020s
    • Graph 4: retail market volume forecast for bread and bread products, 2019-30
    • Speciality breads rise as others fall
    • Graph 5: volume retail sales for bread, by type, 2023-25
    • Private labels extend their lead in volume sales
    • Graph 6: company volume shares for bread and bread products, 2023-25
  3. THE CONSUMER

    • Bread stays a staple but a slice smaller
    • Changing eating habits
    • Abendbrot is ageing
    • German youth wants more nutrition
    • Broader bases make better bread
    • International interest is rising…
    • Graph 7: types of bread purchased, 2022-25
    • …opening the gateway to culinary collaborations
    • Bread is culturally embedded
    • Germans still love their loaves
    • Set up bread for social settings
    • Graph 8: agreement with “Sharing bread is an important part of social dining occassions”, by lifestage 2025
    • Breadmaking is a lifestyle choice
    • Indulgence steals the spotlight
    • Taste trumps health
    • Indulgence and health can target different habits
    • Artisan appeal sustains supermarket aisle indulgence
    • Flavours satisfy snacking cravings
    • Fruity loaves can make wellness sweet
    • Bread is battling health-consciousness
    • Processed bread worries the German youth
    • Make processing purposeful
    • Germans are gut health-conscious
    • Breakfast bread has daily demands
    • The sourdough solution for fresher bread
  4. PRODUCT, INNOVATION AND MARKETING

    • Private label launches turn the tide
    • Graph 9: bread and bread product launches, by branded vs private label, 2020-25
    • Pretzelification in progress
    • Croissover episodes have landed
    • Germans are all about that base
    • Bread struggles to stay natural
    • Graph 10: bread and bread product launches with natural claims, by claim, 2020-25
  5. APPENDIX

    • Report scope/market definition
    • The market
    • Forecast methodology
    • Forecast methodology – fan chart
    • Market size – value
    • Market size – volume
    • Market forecast and prediction intervals – value
    • Market forecast and prediction intervals – volume
    • Market segmentation – value
    • Market segmentation – volume
    • Company shares – value
    • Company shares – volume
    • The consumer
    • Consumer research questions
    • Consumer research methodology
    • Repertoire analysis methodology
    • Germany: generation groups
    • Other data source methodologies
    • Mintel Spark
    • Flavours Landscape: methodology
    • Abbreviations
    • A note on language – Germany

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