Where and how will we buy groceries in the future?

Shopping now goes beyond just wanting to know where and how vegetables, fruit, meat and dairy products are produced and pure consumption. Consumers today want to be aware of their origin and production – a supermarket cannot offer that, even if Migros wanted us to believe that with its farm shop campaign, which was even stopped due to much criticism.

Supermarkets are still the main places for grocery shopping: after all, shopping should be quick and efficient. Short distances, everything important under one roof, fair prices and products that meet sustainability and ethical standards – these are the expectations of the ideal shopping location. Seventy to eighty percent of all grocery purchases in Germany, Austria and Switzerland are made in supermarkets; a handful of larger companies such as Rewe, Aldi, Migros and Coop dominate this market.

But criticism of market power is increasing and is coming from various directions: Farmers complain about low purchase prices and strict standards that exclude high-quality products. Consumers, in turn, are annoyed by unclear labeling and exaggerated environmental claims that disappoint their ethical and quality expectations. And consumer groups criticize the non-transparent pricing policy, opaque supply chains and the targeted promotion of unhealthy and heavily processed products.

In this context, the Food Trend Report 2025 shows new potential for direct marketers and consumers. The “Meet Food” trend describes the growing need of consumers to have more proximity and a closer relationship with their food and the producers.

Directly from the farm

Many farms operate – increasingly since the Corona pandemic – alongside traditional farm shops, digital platforms, organic boxes, vending machines and container shops. On platforms such as Farmy, you can order online and centrally. The food often comes from a radius of less than fifty kilometers and is either brought directly to your home or to pick-up stations – and fresh products such as eggs and meat are delivered chilled to your home by fresh transport.

Cooperative associations and producer-consumer communities are trying to reduce the distance between consumers and producers with cooperatively managed stationary solutions. The regional and local offer aims to promote transparency, fair prices and climate-friendly economic practices. One example is the Park Slope Food Coop in New York, one of the oldest cooperative supermarkets in the world.

In Vienna, the participatory supermarket Mila has just opened a mini-market and plans to offer the first full range of several thousand products in 2025. In Switzerland, Bio 26 in Freiburg and Regio-Herz in St. Gallen embody the solidarity approach. In the city, farm shops in prime locations rent out shelves to farms and family businesses, while the operators take care of sales and billing.

Stephan Feige, head of the retail department at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Business Administration (HWZ), believes that the central location where the products are offered to an urban audience and good cooperation between operators are crucial for the long-term success of these forms of distribution. But a large portion of commitment and passion are also required. It is regional and organic products that reach the customer in this way. Despite small declines after Corona, Feige sees a continuously positive trend in regional food. With an average growth of 9 percent since 2015, 2.4 billion francs are spent annually on certified regional products in Switzerland. They are preferred purchases several times a week due to their quality and social and ethical aspects, such as high animal welfare and sustainable production.

Grace Schatz, founder of Regio-Herz, noticed that city dwellers want to know exactly where the product comes from, who made it and what raw materials it contains. She also experiences enthusiasm when she explains how the cows are fed exclusively with grass, hay and a few carrots for “unique” products such as hay milk in a glass bottle.

Markets satisfy the need for nature

The “Meet Food” trend emphasizes the emotional experience. Weekly markets and market halls are also experiencing a new upswing here. “Markets embody the essence of life in a city.” “They are a mirror for the diversity of the population, their food and how they deal with it,” says Hanni Rützler, author of the food trend report. As central places of economic and social life in villages and cities, they are one of the oldest forms of trade. Whether the Mercat de la Boqueria in Barcelona, ​​the Nagycsarnok in Budapest, the Nishiki market in Kyoto or the Zurich farmers' market – they are all centuries-old institutions with important cultural, social and economic significance.

Markets seem to be the ideal place to satisfy consumers' new yearning for a connection to the origins of our food, ultimately to nature. In an increasingly digitalized and fragmented world, the need for authenticity and real experiences is understandable. At markets, people discuss food, debate sustainable production practices, share cooking experiences, which in turn inspires people to cook for themselves and use fresh ingredients sensually – an expression of real life in a technologized world.

Although the convenience factor when shopping in supermarkets will not disappear overnight and large retailers are also picking up on the “meet food” trend, it remains exciting to see how “meet food” develops. Perhaps we will soon see farmers represented directly in the Coop or Migros, or we ourselves will help with the potato harvest in the field in order to experience a deeper connection to our food.