Convenience continues to climb in relevance, driven by busy routines: 45% of category users are too busy to cook as much as they would like and these time-strapped consumers tend…
Germany
Food
Drinks
simple
Germany Attitudes towards Convenience Food and Drink Consumer Report 2026
"Use clear front-of-pack nutrition and chef-led collaborations to build trust and pride in convenience. Unlock breakfast and weekend occasions by positioning convenience as a low-effort route to indulgence."
Convenience continues to climb in relevance, driven by busy routines: 45% of category users are too busy to cook as much as they would like and these time-strapped consumers tend to tap into convenience food/drink more frequently. This makes convenience a core part of planned grocery shopping, rather than an impulse buy. Yet, reliance still clusters around weekday lunches, leaving breakfast and weekend moments relatively untapped.
Stigma around convenience persists, with 37% of Germans embarrassed to serve such products to friends/family, while foodservice VAT cuts and rapid-delivery options raise the bar for ‘instant’ solutions. At the same time, packaging regulations are tightening and nearly half of Germans believe convenience products generate too much waste, putting additional pressure on brands.
Since shoppers actively check labels and favour clear nutritional cues, the Nutri-Score remains under-applied. Brands can use frozen formats, thanks to their strong health legitimacy and role in speeding up cooking, with stronger front-of-pack communication on speed and portionability.
This Report Looks at the Following Areas:
Market drivers affecting convenience food and drink, including a discussion on the economic outlook, heightened competition from foodservice and shifting working lifestyles raising demand for convenience
Rising popularity of air fryers, opening new paths for convenience food and drink
Consumption of convenience food and drink, showing rising frequency, with weekends and breakfast occasions largely untapped
Consumer behaviours and attitudes towards convenience food and drink, discussing persistent stigma and improving quality perceptions, as well as the importance of health attributes
Innovation in convenience food and drink, with drink innovation lagging behind food and health-related claims, which are on the rise
Collapse All
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
What you need to know
Outlook for convenience food and drink
Opportunities
Elevate quality, dismantle the stigma
Unlock untapped occasions
Supercharge health functionality
THE MARKET
Consumers and the economic outlook
Graph 1: annual change and forecast for GDP and consumer price index, 2021-27
Packaging regulation tightens, raising stakes for convenience formats
Busier working lives strengthen the role of convenience
Growing health pressures make convenience more relevant
Graph 2: perception of difficulty in managing health, 2023-25
THE CONSUMER
Usage of convenience food and drink
Busy routines shift consumers toward more frequent reliance on convenience food and drink
Busy lives boost convenience, but weekends stay untapped
Control the spend, control the portions, control the time
Air-fryer readiness can drive trial of new convenience launches
Quality and consumer perceptions
The shame of the ready-made lives on
Customisation can lift lingering stigma
Quality perceptions slowly improve, but still limit category momentum
Strong demand for convenience formats suited to German cuisine
Purchase behaviours and occasions
Bridge the gap between RTEs’ perceived value and actual use
Convenience rarely travels alone
Planned purchasing anchors convenience in the main shop
Where convenience peaks: lunch leads the pack
Versatile savoury formats offer a safer route into breakfast
Health and the convenience factor
Health scrutiny shapes convenience choices
Chilled formats lead, but frozen retains strong health credibility
PRODUCT, INNOVATION AND MARKETING
Convenience food and drinks focus on ease of use
Graph 3: convenience food and drink launches, by convenience claims, 2023-25
Rethink formats to bring convenience
Shifts in convenience drink landscape
Graph 4: convenience drink product launches, by sub-category, 2022-25
Convenience gets functional
Graph 5: convenience food and drink launches, by claim category, 2022-25
Unlock accessible protein across wider categories
Global convenience meal solutions are gaining traction
Graph 6: convenience food launches, by sub-category, 2022-25
Leverage celebrity chefs and TV shows to bridge the gap between convenience and quality
APPENDIX
Report scope
The consumer
Consumer research questions
Consumer research methodology
Germany generation groups
Other data source methodologies
Mintel Spark
Abbreviations
A note on language – Germany
Market Intelligence Made Easier With Mintel
The first Mintel Market Intelligence report was published over 50 years ago. Since then, we have provided our unique insights and understanding of consumers, innovation and global markets to thousands of customers worldwide. Here’s why our customers rely on Mintel:
Gain a comprehensive, 360-degree view of the market: Mintel reports blend consumer research, market forecasts, product innovation tracking, and competitive analysis, allowing businesses to see every angle of their industry and identify new opportunities quickly.
Make decisions with confidence, grounded in robust data: Each report draws on up-to-date, reliable information from trusted sources and industry experts, ensuring your strategies are based on solid evidence rather than speculation.
Benefit from expert analysis and practical recommendations: Mintel’s reports are written by experienced analysts who interpret complex data and provide clear, actionable insights you can trust to guide your next moves.
Stay ahead with actionable intelligence on market trends and consumer behaviour: By combining fresh research with long-term market monitoring, our reports help businesses anticipate changes and adapt strategically. So you’re prepared to make informed decisions and drive growth.
What goes into a Mintel Market Intelligence Report?
Curious about how a Market Intelligence report comes together? We like to think of it as building a detailed puzzle. We start with individual pieces: data from consumers, market statistics, industry trends, and online conversations. Then our expert analysts add world-class human insight and industry knowledge. The pieces are assembled to reveal a clear, comprehensive picture of a market.
The Four Pillars of Our Research
We use a combination of four main research methods when creating our reports, each adding a valuable perspective:
Consumer Research: Direct surveys with real people, giving us clear, current insights into what people think and do.
Desk Research: In-depth review of trusted data sources. We use this rich database, plus powerful internal tools that track new products and market sizes, to detect trends and guide forecasts.
Trade Research: Insights from conversations with industry experts. Their real-world experience helps us understand what’s happening behind the scenes.
Brand and Social Media Research: Analysis of online opinions and trends. This lets us spot trends, measure brand sentiment, and capture feedback in real time, adding further depth to our research.
Bringing It All Together
Each of these four pillars provides a different piece of the puzzle. Consumer research tells us what customers think, desk research provides the factual framework, trade research offers an insider’s view, and social media analysis reveals public sentiment.
Our expert analysts are skilled in weaving these diverse data streams together. They apply a range of quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques to uncover the deeper story, connecting the dots to deliver clear, actionable insights. This comprehensive, multi-layered process is how we transform raw data into a market intelligence report you can trust to inform your most important business decisions.
$ 2,995(Excl.Tax)
Download today with instant access
Pay via credit card or invoice (net 30 payment terms)
Multiple formats provided
We send a PDF, Powerpoint and Excel Databook straight to your inbox. An interactive version of the report is also available on our online platform
Interactive databook included
Focus on the data that matters most to you with a customisable databook avaliable on our platform
Mintel’s Juice Market Dynamics reports pair comprehensive market statistics with unparalleled market intelligence to offer deep insights into the dynamic landscapes of key markets across the world....
74% of Germans say minimal processing matters more than the organic label, even as organic purchasing continues to rise. This signals that consumers increasingly evaluate organic through a...
Despite a surge in diet CSD consumption, 49% of category consumers have cut down in the three months to January 2026 due to concerns about artificial sweeteners. This...
Functional drinks are surging. CSD brands can adopt functional claims – such as 'energising' or 'gut health' – where the full positioning signals wellness, for example through low‑sugar...
Cooking fatigue is increasingly shaping home cooks' behaviour. 42% feel too exhausted to put much effort into cooking or preparing meals most days, driving up usage of prepared...
Mintel’s Biscuits (Cookies & Crackers) Market Dynamics reports pair comprehensive market statistics with unparalleled market intelligence to offer deep insights into the dynamic landscapes of key markets across...
There is no question that Mintel is the go-to resource for the best quality market research, but I did not think it was an affordable option for Abacus Marketing to consider. As a small marketing agency, we only work with a few new clients each year.
However, we have a very high-end consultative approach to our work, so we really do need a partner like Mintel to provide the big agency experience we are always aiming to deliver. Our clients come from an incredibly diverse range of industry sectors, so we obviously need access to market research reports from a very wide spectrum of marketplaces – and that is precisely what we got.
Stephen Taylor-Brown, Managing Director, Abacus
We use Mintel to inform our thinking and reinforce strategy. If you’re presenting new ideas, it’s essential they are underpinned by robust data and evidence, and clearly rooted in fact.
Mintel gives us all that. It’s a great brand and one that is trusted by clients.
Marie Stafford, European Director, The Innovation Group, VML
Mintel helps us when we want to know something quickly – it provides fast answers to our questions. If we need to get a view of what’s going on in a particular market it’s very useful.
When carrying out background research, I find Mintel an excellent starting point.
The fact that it covers so many markets is a big plus for me– instead of having to buy specialist products in each area we are interested in, especially when we only require a brief view on a particular market, we can go to Mintel for help as a one-stop shop. I find Mintel a useful and valuable resource.
Ben Zeidler, Director - Research and Analytics, Tenth Wave
One of the biggest challenges we face is the need to get smart on a business or category real quick.
We are talking to clients who live and breathe their category every day and the expectation is that we will be able to get caught up very quickly, and bring the thinking that can help them.
We need to do that often in a matter of days, so it’s not a small ask. Mintel gives us a very articulate view of category conditions and does so at the speed we need it.
Jeff White, Business Development Director, Deutsch
At Jackman, we believe that powerful strategies are based on human insight. Mintel’s leading-edge reports and insights into consumer attitudes and behaviors are an important input as we develop and execute strategy.
Alana Gavin, VP Research and Insights, Jackman
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.