This article was originally published by The Organic and Non-GMO Report.
In 2024, Germans spent more than $19.4 billion on non-GMO food, the German Association Food without Genetic Engineering (VLOG) recently announced. Bearing VLOG’s non-GMO denoting label, “Ohne GenTechnik,” milk and dairy products accounted for the largest share of the consumer spending, at 67%. Poultry meat products accounted for 21%, eggs for 10%, and other products for 2%. While Ohne GenTechnik milk and dairy products were down in dollar sales, poultry meat and eggs saw growth.
Additionally, over the last five years, sales of Ohne GenTechnik-labeled eggs have almost doubled, from around $900 million in 2019 to about $1.8 billion in 2024. An estimated 70% of eggs in Germany are now produced GMO-free. Compared to 2023, sales of Ohne GenTechnik products dropped by 1.6% overall. After price increases in 2022 and 2023, particularly for dairy products, prices declined again in 2024, in some cases significantly. While dairy sales were down nearly $462 million, sales grew in the other two major areas of poultry meat and eggs.
Alexander Hissting, VLOG’s managing director, said, “The figures show consolidation at a high level. Downward price corrections for dairy products have brought some relief for consumers after sharp increases…After the enormous growth in the two previous years, we are still very satisfied at over [$19.4 billion].” He continued, “The new German government must ensure now that ‘Ohne Gentechnik’ and organic…is able to continue to deliver GMO-free products for their customers in the future…A complete GMO labelling obligation right through to the end product is an absolute minimum requirement for industry and consumers. With such stable framework conditions, ‘Ohne Gentechnik’ will be able to continue to grow successfully.”