German jam producers are sounding the alarm: the 2024 fruit harvest was catastrophic. On average, the harvests of apples, sour cherries, strawberries, and other soft fruits in Germany were a third below expectations. Sour cherries were even 60% short. The situation was similar in neighboring European countries such as Poland, Hungary, Greece, Spain, and Italy.
The reason for the unusual shortage is the extremely unfavorable weather conditions in 2024. In Germany and Northern Europe, many cherry and apple trees were so severely damaged by heavy frosts during flowering in spring that they were unable to produce fruit. In Southern Europe, it was first too cold and then too hot and dry. As a result, a sufficient quantity of peaches and apricots was harvested, but the fruit was too small and the quality too poor for further processing into jam or tinned fruit.
Due to the short supply situation, prices for raw produce went "through the roof". However, this development has not necessarily gone down well with consumers. The four major German food retailers, which together cover around 80% of the market, demanded price reductions from their suppliers right up to the end to help reduce inflation in the food sector.
As a result, the gap between costs and revenue is widening for German manufacturers of jam and tinned fruit. Fewer raw materials with lower revenues: Companies may no longer be able to deliver at all. It therefore depends on whether there are still enough reserves in the trade itself to bridge the shortage. Otherwise, there is a real threat of gaps on some shelves.
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