On 14 March 2012, the Federal Cabinet adopted the Federal Government’s 2012 Consumer Policy Report.

The variety of food available in supermarkets is tempting. When shopping for groceries it is easy to put more food in the shopping basket than is actually needed. And some of the food is then later thrown away, often because the best-before date has passed.

Both in Germany and in neighbouring EU states, there has recently been a rise in the cases of "Schmallenberg virus". The virus has so far mainly affected sheep and goats but is now also increasingly hitting herds of cattle.

The BMELV advocates that consumers should be enabled to better understand the actual meaning of regional labels when shopping for groceries.