Grocery shopping continues, of course, despite all the corona restrictions. But things are shifting a lot because the large customers of the catering trade are no longer available - and also in the supermarket.
Berlin (dpa) - The corona crisis with closings of restaurants and inns has largely stopped the business with French fries.
"The de facto cessation of consumption outside the home practically brings sales across Europe to a standstill," says an analysis by the German Farmers' Association.
Some processors have already shut down production or are planning to do so. In contrast, sales of packaged table potatoes in supermarkets continue to be brisk. There is also a general increase in demand for organic products.
Food retailing, the most important organic sales channel, has been selling significantly more since the end of February. The organic food trade reports a 30 to 60 percent increase in sales, especially for grain products, potatoes and dairy products.
Some consumers are likely to be willing to spend more on higher-quality food as compensation for the loss of restaurant visits. However, direct marketers would have to reckon with problems if weekly markets are sometimes blocked.
Overall, there is still a strong demand for storable products such as UHT milk, cream, butter and sliced cheese in the retail sector. In the case of butter and cheese, this more than compensates for the decline in demand from large customers. Against this background, negotiations on prices between April 1, between dairies and retailers could have been concluded with a plus.
In pork, demand in supermarkets has calmed down compared to the past two weeks. "The consumers seem to have stocked up," says the market report. In the next few days and weeks, however, more demand for grilled meat is expected. In the case of beef, the usual revival at Easter did not take place, which was otherwise associated with price markups.
Apples are still in demand for fruit - now back to normal levels with slightly rising prices. The supply of the market is expected to last until the harvest from August / September. Vegetable imports continued, currently mainly from Italy, Spain and increasingly also from the Netherlands and Belgium.
Furthermore, there is great uncertainty with regard to seasonal workers during ongoing planting work for salads, cabbage and many other types of vegetables. In addition, asparagus, rhubarb, salads, strawberries and cucumbers are now being harvested. It is currently uncertain how and to what extent the work can be done, the analysis says.
