4 days ago
Is Germany facing a döner shortage over workers' rights?
For months, workers have been on strike over working conditions at one of Germany's largest döner kebab skewer production sites. Could this mean the beloved staple is becoming scarce?
The döner kebab, traditionally lamb or beef meat, in flatbread is one of Germany's most beloved fast foods – whether for lunch, a cheeky midnight snack or as a hangover remedy after a night out.
Beyond convenience, the döner represents much more: It's a symbol of Turkish-German friendship and the legacy of Turkish Gastarbeiter (guest workers) who arrived between the 1950s and 1970s to help rebuild post-war Germany.
Over time, the döner has achieved cult status. From slogans like 'Döner makes you better looking,' to ex-national footballer Lukas Podolski launching a kebab chain, and politicians rallying with cheap döner during campaigns to engage young voters.
For some, it's seen as a badge of honour if your local kebab dealer knows you on a first name basis, while calls for a 'döner price cap' spice up concerns about inflation and affordability.
To the dismay of many, the median price of a döner rose from €4 to €7 between 2016 and 2025 and a months-long strike at a key production site in the southern state of Baden-Württemberg is stirring public worry about a further price increase. Workers unite! The Birtat factory is a major supplier of kebab meat nationwide. For months, workers have been demanding higher wages and a collective agreement, but so far, there has been no consensus.
According to the Food, Beverages, and Catering Union (NGG), employees' conditions involve intense work on fast-paced production lines and inconsistent wages, with some unexplained differences of up to €50.
Union slogans like 'Döner: even prettier with a union contract!', alluding to the colloquial catchphrase, reflect the growing pressure.
While the strikes have disrupted production only for singular days and no shortages have been reported so far, extended industrial action could eventually affect supply. The Döner Index Germany's 'Döner Index' might not enjoy the same fame as The Economist 's 'Big Mac Index', but is an equally quirky yet telling way of measuring regional inflation and economic pressure.
Döner-hungry individuals need to fork out between €5.79 and €9.77 for their kebab, a study across 37 German cities by food-delivery service Lieferando found. The most expensive döner was identified in the northern city of Flensburg, while the cheapest was located in the eastern city of Halle (Saale).
According to Professor Oliver Holtemöller of the Leibniz Institute for Economic Research, three main factors drive these variations: competition (how many shops are nearby), local costs (like rent and wages), and demand. Combined, they explain the wide price gap.
However, Holtemöller cautions that döner prices reflect local conditions more than general inflation.
'The price differences for doner kebabs are much more regional than those of general inflation. That means there are special, döner-specific factors at play,' he said in an interview with public broadcaster MDR .
In short: wealthier areas with higher wages typically see higher döner prices. Döner goes Brussels The döner has also entered the policy arenas of Brussels, with Turkey seeking EU recognition for it under the Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG) scheme – which protects recipes, not regions.
Ankara wants to set rules on how döner is made to preserve its authenticity – from the thickness of the meat slices to the hours of marination. An application, filed in 2022, outlines detailed preparation standards, from meat slicing to marination, to safeguard authenticity.
After months of inconclusive talks between Turkey and EU countries, the ball now lies in the European Commission's court. The decision will be taken 'in due time," a Commission spokesperson told Euractiv.
