Obesity is straining Germany’s health system, costing up to €90B yearly. With half of adults overweight, politics remain divided: conservatives trust markets, while Greens push sugar taxes and VAT reform. Experts say real change needs political courage, not just consumer choice or industry promises.
Germany is struggling with the rising health, social, and economic costs of obesity, a problem starkly highlighted through the personal story of 27-year-old Berlin resident Lucas Pohl. Pohl, who weighed 150 kilograms, realized the urgency of his situation after he was unable to fasten his airplane seatbelt without an extender. Living on a trainee’s monthly wage of just €1,000, he had relied heavily on cheap junk food and ready-made meals. Fearing for his life, he turned to an obesity clinic, where public insurance covered extensive nutritional counselling and bariatric surgery worth more than €10,000, along with paid leave for his three-week recovery. His case reflects both the burden of unhealthy diets on individuals and the larger systemic challenges facing Germany.
Almost half of German adults are overweight, and obesity rates are on the rise. Researchers link these trends to poor diets characterized by low vegetable intake and sugar-heavy consumption. The financial consequences are immense: obesity-related illnesses are estimated to cost between €27 billion and €90 billion annually, adding pressure to Germany’s already strained public health system, which is funded by mandatory insurance contributions. Beyond individual suffering, these costs are becoming a pressing public issue, but political responses remain divided and hesitant.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has pledged a broad reform of the social security system, yet the coalition government’s policy plan released earlier this year made no mention of improving nutrition or addressing unhealthy eating habits. Instead, it placed responsibility on individual consumers to make better choices. This hands-off approach reflects a longstanding German tradition of limited regulation in industries tied to personal lifestyle risks, such as tobacco, alcohol, and now processed foods. Conservatives in the ruling CDU argue that market forces and consumer demand will eventually push producers toward healthier products. Industry lobby groups reinforce this stance, appealing to individual freedom and opposing state “interference” in dietary choices.
On the other side, the Greens and the Left strongly disagree, insisting that relying on consumer choice alone is inadequate when powerful food industries continue to profit from highly processed, sugar-laden products. They push for measures like sugar taxes on beverage firms and reforms to the value-added tax system, which critics say is riddled with inconsistencies—for instance, pet food is taxed at 7% while baby food falls under 19%. Proposals to lift VAT on healthy foods enjoy overwhelming public support, with 91% of Germans in favor, while 79% back a sugar tax. Yet despite high levels of approval, past attempts at food legislation have stalled, often blocked by more market-friendly coalition partners.
Meanwhile, the food industry remains reluctant to act without economic pressure. Large corporations, such as Nestle and Unilever, still derive a significant share of their sales from unhealthy foods. Nestle, for example, acknowledged that 41% of its global beverage and food sales in 2024 were from products deemed unhealthy. While companies have introduced some sugar cuts and developed weight-loss support products, critics argue progress has been slow because core business profits depend heavily on high-calorie sales. Experts stress that food manufacturers are not public health institutions, but businesses accountable to shareholders, making voluntary change unlikely.
Global examples suggest state regulation makes a difference. Chile’s 2016 laws restricting junk food advertising and mandating warning labels, as well as the UK’s sugar tax, produced measurable declines in unhealthy food and drink consumption. By contrast, Germany’s voluntary industry measures—like getting soda makers to reduce sugar in drinks—achieved only a 2% drop. Research shows that cutting unhealthy calories by even 20% could yield enormous economic benefits, comparable to 29,000 additional full-time workers annually through improved health and productivity.
Yet experts like Barbara Bitzer of the German Diabetes Society argue that what is missing is not knowledge but political will. Despite clear evidence of the economic and social damage of obesity, policymakers have so far lacked the courage to confront industry interests and pass lasting reforms. As Bitzer put it, tackling the obesity crisis through effective food regulation “doesn’t cost much, but it requires political courage”—a resource that German politics has been short on for years.
