Food and Beverage Industry
An Attractive Market for Exports
Germany is with more than 82 million people the largest market in Europe. The German food and beverage market is the fourth largest industrial branch in the country. In 2006, its retail sales reached ¤150 billion. Even though part of the local demand is satisfied with domestically produced products, the country is a net importer in all major classes of food and beverage products.
What do foreign exporters have to consider in order to import their food and beverage products to Germany successfully?
In order to import food & beverage products in Germany, it is necessary to comply with German food laws and fulfill all importing requirements. Most German food retailers do not import products themselves. They rather buy from central buyers/distributors specialized in the import of food & beverages. In general, these wholesalers have in depth knowledge of all importing requirements like the necessary product certificates, labeling and packaging and also take care of the shipping, customs clearance and distribution of the products within the country.
There are many associations that provide information and support in importing food and beverage products into Germany. Some of them specialize on a specific area of food handling.
The Association of Foreign and Wholesale Trade (Waren-Verein der Hamburger Börse e.V.) is a national association that represents the interests of foreign and wholesale trade with the following products: canned products, frozen products, dried fruit, kernels, dried vegetables, spices, honey, organic products and related products.
The Federation of German Wholesale and Foreign Trade (BGA) gives you very useful information and links on importing goods to Germany.
Information for packaging requirements in Germany can be found at 'der Grüne Punkt'. The 'Grüne Punkt' (The Green Dot) system is a recycling symbol printed on all packaged products sold in Germany.
A good site for companies interested in importing fruits and vegetables is the homepage of the German Fruit Trade Association (DFHV). An extensive database contains information and advice on laws, regulations and important topics related to the branch.
The website of the German Association for Food Retail (BVL) contains information on the retail sale of food and beverages products in the country. This includes food law, trade law, statistics and information about the branch and events.
For companies interested in the organic food market, the German Association for Natural Food and Products (BNN) provides very useful information on the production, trade and sale of these goods in the country.
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