Belgian consumers buy more chicken, eggs as beef demand weakens

BELGIUM – Animal products remained a major part of household diets in Belgium during 2025.

However, new figures from YouGov Belgium for VLAM show consumers increasingly turning to chicken and eggs while cutting back on beef purchases due to higher prices and shifting preferences.

Fresh meat, poultry and game consumption for home use stayed unchanged at 27.3 kilogrammes per person last year.

However, chicken continued to gain market share after per capita consumption increased 4% to 9.4 kilogrammes, while beef intake fell from 4.5 kilogrammes to 4.1 kilogrammes following a 14% increase in retail prices.

Meanwhile, pork consumption showed little movement during the year and remained close to 6 kilogrammes per person, reflecting steadier demand compared to other meat categories.

Poultry output reaches record level

At the same time, Belgium’s poultry industry recorded its highest production and slaughter figures since official records began, with annual chicken meat production reaching 543 million kilogrammes from 314.9 million processed birds.

Chicken meat now represents almost one-third of Belgium’s total meat production, according to industry data, while the poultry sector continues to expand as cattle and pig numbers decline across the country.

Belgium currently has around 1,700 poultry farms housing approximately 55.6 million birds, including 38.5 million broiler chickens, 9 million laying hens, 4.6 million pullets and 2.78 million breeding hens.

Industry figures also show poultry production value rising by around 12.2%, while egg production value increased by more than 27% as demand for poultry products strengthened.

Fish and seafood purchases also increased during 2025, with home consumption of fresh fish, shellfish and crustaceans climbing 5% to 3.4 kilogrammes per person, driven mainly by stronger mussel sales, while salmon continued gaining popularity within the fresh fish segment.

Egg consumption continued to rise steadily, with Belgians consuming an average of 83 eggs per person in 2025, up from 66 in 2016, indicating sustained long-term growth in household demand.

Within the dairy category, yoghurt purchases continued to increase while white milk consumption maintained its gradual decline, although cheese intake remained stable at about 12 kilogrammes per person each year.

Consumer shopping behaviour also shifted during the period, as discount retailers attracted more fresh-food buyers, while households reduced shopping frequency and increased the amount purchased per store visit.

Belgium also maintained strong poultry trade activity, with exports mainly to France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while imports largely came from the Netherlands, Poland, France, and Denmark.

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