Some agri-food market news from USDA - Foreign markets
Updated: Jul 22, 2020
July 2020
Four supermarket chains hold over 66 percent market share of the UK grocery sector. This report provides an overview of the UK retail outlets and guidance on how best to place U.S. products in the UK market. It also explains how COVID-19 has impacted the market and how consumer shopping habits have changed. Online grocery shopping has boomed and now accounts for 11.5 percent of all grocery sales. This sector has attracted more new shoppers in 2020 than it has in the previous five years combined.
European Union: Priorities of the German Presidency
On July 1, 2020, Germany took over the Council of the EU rotating presidency. This report provides an overview of the Presidency’s priorities for the next six months. Priorities include overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change mitigation, digital sovereignty, global engagement and negotiating two key EU economic strategies: the six-year EU budget- the multiannual financial framework and the EU’s COVID-19 recovery. For the EU food and agricultural sector, the German Presidency will focus on advancing the EU’s Green Deal food and agriculture and biodiversity strategies and negotiating the next five-year EU food and agriculture budget- the Common Agriculture Policy.
Germany: Top Five Consumer Types and Trends in Germany
Healthy lifestyle habits are becoming more and more pronounced in Germany, and consumers are striving for spiritual and mental well-being, in addition to physical health. Well-being is continuously seen as the key component of projecting a better and improved personal image. Consumers are paying more attention to what they eat and opt for products that make them feel good. This report provides overview of the main consumer types and trends in Germany.
Germany: German Ag Minister on Priorities for EU Presidency
On July 1, Germany took over the rotating EU presidency. This report provides details on Germany’s priorities for agriculture. These include animal welfare, Farm-to-Fork “F2F,” biodiversity strategy, Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) negotiations, and fisheries.
Germany is by far the biggest market for food and beverages in the European Union. The food retail sector is saturated, highly consolidated, and competitive. There is good sales potential on the German market for U.S. exporters of nuts, fish and seafood products, dried fruits, bakery products, organic products, and sweet potatoes. The Covid-19 related lockdown measures have impacted German consumers’ shopping and consumption patterns. It remains to be seen if and to what extent consumers continue to stick to these patterns once the pandemic is over.
Spain: Spanish Wine Sector Update
During the first quarter of 2020, Spanish data shows a significant drop in wine sales to the domestic and international markets. The drop in Spanish wine sales is primarily due to the closure of the hospitality and tourism sectors in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Average prices for Spanish wine are also expected to decline. The Ministry of Agriculture implemented a set of extraordinary measures to alleviate the pandemic’s negative impact on the Spanish wine sector and to avoid a surplus of wine during the upcoming season. With the end of the Spanish State of Alarm and the reopening of nonessential activities, Spanish industry observers expect the wine sector to rebound.
Source: USDA - Foreign Agricultural Service