Dry January: 50% less alcohol purchased in January 2024 than in December 2023
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With campaigns such as Dry January or Veganuary, the consumption of alcohol and meat in January has decreased noticeably in recent years. This is also reflected in the shopping behavior of many people at the checkouts of large supermarket chains. In January 2024, 49.7% less alcohol was purchased than in December 2023, according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) based on scanner data from food retailers. Meat sales fell by 29.4% in the same period. Compared to the annual average for 2023, sales of alcohol in January 2024 were 32.0% lower, while sales of meat were 12.5% lower than the annual average for 2023.
After the gluttony of the Advent and Christmas period, many people apparently put the brakes on their consumption of sweets even more at the start of the new year: in January 2024, less than half as many sweets such as chocolate or cookies were bought than in December 2023 (-59.6%). In comparison: compared to the annual average for 2023, sales of sweets fell by 42.5% in January 2024.
The fact that many people give up alcohol, sweets or meat in January is a relatively stable pattern of consumer behavior that has become more pronounced in recent years. For example, the slump in consumption was already significant in January 2023 and January 2022. At the beginning of 2024, however, it was even stronger than in the two previous years. By comparison, at the start of 2023, 46.9% less alcohol, 26.1% less meat and 52.7% fewer sweets were purchased than in the previous December.
January the month with the lowest sales of alcohol, sweets and meat, December the month with the highest sales
With Advent, Christmas and New Year's Eve and the associated festivities and family celebrations, December is traditionally the month with the highest sales of alcohol, sweets and meat: in December 2023, supermarkets sold 24.0% more meat, 35.3% more alcohol and 42.4% more sweets than the annual average for 2023. In contrast, January 2023 was the month with the lowest sales in 2023: Sales of meat were 12.5% below the annual average, alcohol 26.8% and sweets 34.8%.
In addition to New Year's resolutions, other factors such as calendar effects or seasonal fluctuations due to the absence of festive occasions and the development of consumer prices can also play a role in food retail sales.
