Better for wallets, wellbeing and healthcare – new study reveals the benefits of plant-forward diets in Germany

A new study by Madre Brava, in collaboration with PATOS Solutions, finds that the average German household could save more than one thousand euros a year by switching to a healthy, sustainable diet. 

Healthy Returns: What the Planetary Health Diet Means for German Wallets and Wellbeing, compares a typical shopping basket with one aligned with the Planetary Health Diet (PHD) – a science-based dietary pattern designed to promote human health and protect the planet. 

A PHD-aligned shopping basket costs a two-person household around €73.14 a week – about €25 less than today's average shop (€98.36). That adds up to around €1,315 in savings per household per year.

The differences in spending are particularly pronounced for protein sources. While typical spending on this food group averages €2.47 per day, that falls to €1.55 in the PHD-aligned basket due to a healthier, more balanced mix of protein sources, like legumes, nuts and seeds.

As well as being kinder to wallets, the study reveals that a basket aligned with the PHD could lead to almost two additional healthy years of life per person, over an 80-year lifespan.

If German citizens embrace the PHD, 200,000 premature deaths could be prevented each year. The potential annual savings in direct and indirect healthcare costs amount to roughly €53 billion – more than the funding gap statutory health insurance is projected to reach by 2030 without reform, according to the Federal Ministry of Health (source: BMG FAQ on the GKV Contribution Rate Stabilisation Act, 2026).

‍German supermarkets are making some progress 

Aldi Süd, Edeka, Lidl and Rewe, Germany's largest supermarket chains, have contributed to the study, setting out the steps they’re already taking to support consumers in adopting a healthy and sustainable diet. 

Edeka is integrating plant-based products into its established ‘Edeka Herzstücke’ brand and offering recipes and weekly meal plans aligned with the PHD. Meanwhile, Aldi Süd has built its own nutrition team and more than doubled its range of products labelled fully plant-based since 2021.

The majority of retailers now calculate their protein split – the sales ratio of animal-to-plant protein. Rewe and Lidl have also set concrete targets for increasing their plant-based share. But making full-scale adoption of the PHD requires one ambitious, shared target. 

Civil Society Organisations highlight lack of coordination

The study includes contributions from Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband, the Netzwerk Ernährungsräte, the Verbraucher Initiative, ProVeg and the Albert Schweitzer Foundation, all of whom point to a lack of coordination behind the shift towards healthier diets. 

Aldi Süd, Edeka, Lidl and Rewe account for around 80 percent of the German grocery market. By following the steps set out in the study, they could use their market power to make a dietary transition possible. 

The scale of the opportunity becomes clear when looking at the gaps that remain: ProVeg's own annual pricing study backs up the analysis's findings, revealing that while entry-level plant-based alternatives are often already cheaper than animal products, their availability on shelves varies widely by category and chain.

The study also highlights the barriers consumers face when it comes to choosing plant-based. Shopping habits are influenced by numerous decisions made by supermarkets, including the structure of what’s on offer, existing food environments and price. As such, the responsibility for a healthy and sustainable diet cannot be placed on consumers alone. 

Florian Wall, Madre Brava's Associate Director Germany, said:

"The fact that a colourful, healthy, delicious diet can already be cheaper today proves that, in a time of rising prices and overlapping crises, supermarkets can be a source of stability – if retailers step up to that responsibility. That means the whole industry agreeing on one shared target for a more plant-based range – so that healthy eating stops being a matter of chance and becomes the default. Without shared standards, access to healthy, sustainable food remains a matter of where you live, how much time you have, or which supermarket you happen to prefer. Germany's consumers deserve the same information, the same message, and the same access to healthy protein – no matter which supermarket they shop in."

The missing lever: a shared industry target

Germany currently lacks a shared industry-wide target for diet, despite clear recommendations from the DGE (German Nutrition Society) and the EAT-Lancet Commission, which produced the Planetary Health Diet.

The study calls on supermarkets to commit to a sales ratio of 38% plant-based to 62% animal-based protein sales by 2035. For dairy and dairy-alternative products, the plant-based share needs to reach 32%. It urges supermarkets, policymakers and health institutions to come together to make healthy food more visible, affordable and accessible for all.

Regarding the study, which assesses the health benefits of the PHD via scientific modelling, Dr Amelie Michalke, Managing Director of PATOS Solutions, said:

"Two independent scientific models arrive at the same result on an issue that affects every household in Germany. That's the kind of solid evidence that makes credible recommendations for policy and business possible in the first place. Health outcomes can no longer be a footnote in how we calculate the true cost of our food."

Read the full report in English or German.