How do people in Germany really eat, and how do they view their own diets? A new nationwide survey provides some answers. The Max Rubner Institute (MRI) has released the first results of the National Nutrition Monitoring (nemo), a long-term study designed to track dietary habits in Germany. Between September and November 2024, more than 3,000 people aged 18 to 80 took part in an online survey. The sample was selected to be representative of the German population in terms of age, gender, education, and federal state. The results highlight not only how Germans rate their health and eating habits, but also which foods they actually consume, what diets they follow, and what matters most when they shop.
Around two-thirds of respondents described their health as good to very good, and more than half rated their cooking skills as equally strong. Almost half also considered their diet very healthy or rather healthy. However, when compared with reported food intake, these self-assessments often did not match the recommendations of the German Nutrition Society (DGE).
The DGE advises eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables daily. Yet the nemo survey showed that only about 35 percent of respondents consumed both fruit and vegetables every day. Around 60 percent managed either fruit or vegetables daily, while less than one quarter knew the correct daily amount recommended by the DGE.
Nearly half of those surveyed rated their eating style as very or rather healthy, while 12 percent admitted it was rather unhealthy or not healthy at all. Overall, there was a good understanding of what makes a diet healthy. Respondents who believed they ate healthily often pointed to regular fruit and vegetable consumption. Those who rated their diet as “neither healthy nor unhealthy” said they ate plenty of fruit and vegetables but also indulged in whatever they felt like, whether nutritious or not. Participants who judged their diet as unhealthy frequently reported eating too little fruit and vegetables, but large amounts of meat, processed foods, and sweets.
When asked about dietary preferences, almost two-thirds of participants identified as following a mixed diet. About one quarter described themselves as flexitarian, limiting meat to a maximum of two days per week. Four percent said they were vegetarian, and around one percent vegan. But the data also revealed contradictions: about 75 percent of respondents actually ate meat more than twice per week, regardless of their stated dietary form.
The duration of these dietary habits also varied widely. About 80 percent of mixed-diet followers had been eating this way for at least ten years, while only about 20 percent of vegans said they had followed their diet for more than a decade.
Shopping habits provided further insight into German food culture. For more than 90 percent of respondents, taste and freshness were the most important factors. Around two-thirds also valued seasonality, price, minimal packaging, animal welfare, and low processing. More than half placed importance on foods being GMO-free, low in additives, regionally produced, or reduced in sugar, salt, and fat.
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