Schnitzel, sausage and co.: Meat-free substitute products are becoming increasingly popular

Created: 05/13/2022, 15:05

According to the Federal Statistical Office, less and less meat will end up on the plates of many citizens in Germany in 2021.

Meatless substitute products are becoming increasingly popular.

Kassel/Wiesbaden – The latest study by the Federal Statistical Office shows that people who eat a vegetarian or vegan diet do not necessarily do without schnitzel, burgers or sausages.

According to evaluations by the authority, the consumption of meat substitutes in Germany increased again in 2021.

The agency announced this in a report.

According to this, around 98,000 tons of plant-based food were produced in Germany last year.

According to the report, this is an increase of around 17 percent compared to 2020, compared to 2019 it is even an increase of 62 percent.

Vegetarian Meat Substitutes: Customers prefer supermarket own brands

And the meatless trend of the past few years seems to be continuing: The market research company GfK once again determined an increase in sales of substitute products of 13.3 percent for the first quarter of 2022.

According to GfK, customers should primarily use the cheaper own brands of discounters and supermarkets.

A consequence of high inflation?

According to the market research company, this cannot be ruled out.

But the comparatively more expensive veggie schnitzel, burgers and co. from well-known meat manufacturers and the increasing quality of "no-name" products could also be responsible for this.

Vegetarian and vegan substitute products: Meat consumption is declining in Germany

While the popularity of tofu sausages and seitan burgers, for example, seems to be steadily increasing, according to the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food, meat consumption in Germany has been declining for several years.

According to the federal authority, in 2021 it should have been 55 kilograms per capita per year.

That is almost eight kilograms less than was the case ten years ago - and was therefore the lowest value since calculations began in 1989.

Nevertheless, according to the Federal Statistical Office, the value of meat production in 2021 at 35.6 billion euros is still around eighty times higher than the value of meat substitute products (458 million euros).

Enjoy meat-free - more and more food producers are now offering vegetarian alternatives in their range.

Also because consumer demand for it has been increasing for years.

© Marius Becker/dpa

Increasing consumption of meat substitutes: Manufacturers are reacting to the trend

The trend in both directions has not escaped the attention of the big companies in the meat industry: more and more vegetarian and vegan substitute products from well-known meat producers can be found in the refrigerated shelves of supermarkets.

The food producer Rügenwalder Mühle is now officially advertising with the slogan "Rügenwalder Mühle - With meat or without".

According to the company's website, the products from the family company with the red mill in the logo are "without meat, but just as tasty".

And: According to its own statements, Rügenwalder Mühle sold more vegan and vegetarian products than classic meat and sausage products for the first time in 2021.

However, an incident at the end of last year shows that a vegetarian diet is far from being part of everyday life everywhere: a daycare center in Lohfelden asked parents whose daughters do not eat meat to provide a medical certificate for a vegetarian lunch.

And quite a few parents worry about the health of their children if they eat vegetarian food.

(rku/dpa/afp)