Nutrition: Hazelnuts become more expensive, also because of climate change

The development affects chocolate, spreads and muesli. Hazelnut prices have risen by more than a third to harvest time since the beginning of the year, which hits companies like Ritter Sport, Seeberger or Zentis in Germany.

The high prices are related to the peculiarity of the hazelnut market. Because with Turkey there is a producer country that dominates the world market. Around 60 percent of the hazelnuts grow mainly on the green mountain slopes along the Black Sea coast, where the nut is also called “green gold” due to its meaning.

In April, a cold collapse there damage flowers and shoots – according to which prices climbed before harvesting. Agriculture Minister Ibrahim Yumakli spoke of one of the worst agricultural frosts in Türkiye’s history. As a reason, experts cited climate change, which makes extreme weather more common.

The state -owned Turkish news agency Anadolu reported that the grade, a state market regulator, was expecting a decline of harvest by 36 percent to around 450,000 tons this year.

Knight Sport adapts to double burden

The price jump particularly affects companies that also receive expensive cocoa. For example, the Swiss chocolate manufacturer Lindt & Sprüngli, the Elmshorner mueslimarke Kölln or Ritter Sport from Waldenbuch near Stuttgart. Ritter Sport processes several thousand tons of hazelnuts a year, which mainly come from the Turkish Black Sea coast, in smaller parts also from the USA.

The night frosts in Turkey and the price increases have a noticeable impact on the chocolate manufacturer, says a company spokesman. Hazelnuts are costly like cocoa. “We therefore register a massive (double) load on the raw material side.” The burden will not go away either – also because of climate change.

Seeberger: Development is an expression of climate risks

The snack provider Seeberger from Ulm offers natural hazelnut kernels. The nuclei come from Italy, the second most important growing country. Nevertheless, the expected failures in Turkey also have Seeberger, reports a company spokesman. Because Turkey, as the largest producer, has an impact on the global market, which also increases prices in Italy.

“The current development is also an expression of the increasing climate risks for agriculture,” says Seeberger. Scientists call “ClimateFlation” that climate consequences increase prices, such as Essen.

Ferrero denies delivery interruptions

The price increases are particularly likely to meet the world’s largest buyers of hazelnuts: the Nutella producer Ferrero, who is estimated to receive about a third of all hazelnuts. The company does not comment on the price development on request. Ferrero denies that delivery interruptions occur. In addition to Turkey, hazelnuts also refer to Turkey from Italy, Chile and the USA, which ensures the supply.

Market observer: “The hazelnut price is currently very high”

Alexander Sterk founded the Vesper BV platform in Amsterdam, providing the data on food markets that are often opaque. Vesper asks about the producer, dealers and food companies – also from Germany. Sterk reports that a ton of Turkish hazelnut kernels now cost around 9,400 euros. This has corresponded to an increase of more than a third since the beginning of the year.

“The hazelnut price is currently very high,” says the former dealer Sterk. That is why hazelnuts are hardly traded at the moment – unlike peanuts. He also notes that companies tried to change recipes to reduce the hazelnut content.

Almonds as a cheaper alternative

Rainer Lückenhausen is a partner at the traditional Hamburg Handelshaus Schlüter & Maack, which specializes in hazelnuts, among other things. He estimates that companies will switch to other types of nuts: in particular almonds, “which are more interesting in terms of price”.

Lückenhausen suspects that at least further price jumps of the hazelnut kernels will fail. “There is currently no expected with serious further harvest.” Climate change is an uncertainty factor. This leads to changes in weather that have an impact on the yields. The effects were difficult to predict.

Dependence on the “green gold” and higher prices

The frost damage in Türkiye mainly affects the producers. Many farmers are not insured against crop failures. In villages on the Black Sea coast, the hazelnut cultivation is economically so dominant that it often forms the only source of income. “Winter was tough here. The snow in April ruined everything,” says a harvest assistant from the Turkish news agency DHA.

A few days ago, the state grain authority determined an official minimum purchase price for hazelnuts at harvesting time, which is intended to stabilize the market. This year the purchase price of a kilogram of nuts is around 4.20 euros. That is almost 17 percent higher than in the previous year on a euro base. Based on the Lira state currency, which repeatedly devalues, it is an increase of more than 50 percent.

The Chairman of the Chamber of Agriculture of the Giresun growing region, Nurittin Karan, still expects buyers from Germany and other countries to quickly buy the stocks. What a scarcity in Germany could cushion: A significantly smaller part of the harvest should be held back for the Turkish market. The rest go to export.