Healthy, regional and in organic quality: More appreciation for food

People are placing more and more emphasis on their diet.

Restaurateurs are reacting to this trend.

For example, there is more and more vegetarian food.

Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen - This Saturday is World Food Day.

The current nutrition report of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture shows that Germans shop and eat more consciously.

Significantly more people cooked for themselves almost every day, according to the study, which can be read online at www.bmel.de.

Vegetables and fruit are therefore more often on the menu, meat and sausages are consumed a little less than last year, especially by younger people.

Regional, healthy and in organic quality: the trend is towards new eating habits

The appreciation for food has increased further;

Consumers wanted regional products and paid more attention to animal welfare.

42 percent would also pay more for more animal welfare.

Direct marketers, owners of health food stores, restaurateurs and market people in the district can confirm the trend.

The Wolfratshausen nutritionist Maria Pischeltsrieder believes that it will continue after Corona: “During the lockdown, people noticed how good it tastes and how good it gets when you cook fresh yourself.

You can now fall back on your newly acquired repertoire of recipes ”.

Good quality and from the region: people pay attention to nutrition

Agnes Holzer from Geretsrieder Bauernladen can confirm that customers place increasing importance on quality and regionality - regardless of whether it is fruit and vegetables, eggs, dairy products or meat. However, what she is now realizing after the very good business during the corona crisis is "that people are already happy to go to the tavern again". You can tell from the sales, especially before nice weekends. But the bottom line is that it balances out.

In the catering industry, on the other hand, there is a gradual rethinking.

More and more vegetarian and vegan specialties can be found on the menus of long-established Bavarian restaurants.

A few years ago you would have looked in vain at the Altwirt in Münsing in vain.

The Humplbräu in Wolfratshausen points out that the animals it processes are kept in a species-appropriate manner and lists six refined dishes under the meatless category.

Among other things, there are burgers with vegan patties.

Vegan dishes are becoming more popular

Anneliese Stockner from the Hirschbachstüberl in Lenggries has been relying on purely plant-based food since 2012, sometimes using dairy products. Demand is increasing, but they cannot see a real “boom”, says Stockner. A lot of Munich residents would come to her, the Lenggriesers themselves are “rather not as vegetarian on the way”. Some would have ordered something to take away from her for a change while the restaurants were closing. "If less meat were eaten, maybe only once a week, a lot would be achieved for your own health, but also for animal and environmental protection," says the convinced vegan, who at 65 feels "in top shape" after working 70 hours in of the week.

Ecological and especially regional, organically produced products have been in demand for years, says Andreas Wegler, managing director of the Tölzer Alpenbiomarkt.

Because of the critical reporting in the media, for example on factory farming, the shopping behavior of customers has changed.

They are ready to spend more money on organic meat.

On the other hand, the number of customers who are vegan or vegetarian is increasing - especially since there are more and more substitute products such as grain milk or soy products.

"Overall, the demand ratio remains almost balanced," says Wegler.

People spend more money on groceries.

Volker Reeh, market spokesman for the Geretsried weekly market and fish and delicatessen traders at the markets in Geretsried, Wolfratshausen and Bad Tölz, also senses that the district citizens are willing to dig deeper into their pockets for quality. During the lockdown, more men than usual shopped with him for the family. "They spend more money than women because they are more hungry," says Reeh with a wink. He was pleased to note that fish in particular had become more popular. Reeh not only has marine fish in its range, but also fish from local waters.

The Häsch family from Dietramszell have their regular customers. In the farm shop "Zum Bertenbauer", Helene Häsch sells eggs and pork from her own farm as well as cheese, farmhouse bread and much more from the area. During the Corona crisis, many customers came for security reasons, she says. In a small shop, they would have estimated the risk of infection to be lower. Häsch cannot yet foresee whether the interest will last in the long term. In the 21 years since the business was founded, there have been high phases after the various food scandals, including in times of the pandemic. Nevertheless, for health and environmental reasons, the farmer promotes the purchase of regional and seasonal products.

Apropos seasonal: If you pay a little attention to what is currently being harvested, organic and regional does not automatically have to be expensive.