As of: March 8, 2024, 5:54 p.m
By: Jana Stabener
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In the future, Burger King will offer plant-based products cheaper than their animal-based originals.
Greenwashing or actually useful?
Some cafes charge extra for oat milk instead of cow's milk.
Vegan substitute products (which do not appear in the DGE's new nutritional guidelines) usually cost more than the corresponding meat products.
The fast food chain Burger King wants to change that and offers all vegan products cheaper than their animal originals.
The company wants to “further advance the growing trend towards alternative protein sources in Germany,” according to a press release.
Greenwashing or actually useful?
“Both,” says Leonie Netter, consultant for food and agriculture at German Environmental Aid,
to BuzzFeed News Germany,
a portal from
IPPEN.MEDIA.
Plant-Based Whooper at Burger King.
© Bihlmayerfotografie/IMAGO/Michael Bihlmayer
Burger King offers vegan burgers cheaper: “High steering effect”
“Cheap vegan burgers or not – the raw materials for fast food chains are often produced at the expense of the environment,” says the environmental expert
to consider.
Not only is the rainforest cut down for meat production, Burger King also searches in vain for organically produced fruit and vegetables.
Nevertheless, the price naturally has a “high steering effect”, especially in times of strong inflation, because customers choose the cheaper offer when in doubt.
And: The campaign draws attention to an important issue: the price inequality between plant and animal products, which is also visible in oat milk cappuccinos.
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More on the topic: After Austria-Aus Burger King comments on its vegan strategy
Why animal products are cheaper than vegan alternatives
Animal products are better off for tax purposes than their vegan alternatives, explains Netter.
Both in the supermarket and at To-Go, the reduced tax rate of seven percent applies to basic foods such as meat and milk, while substitute products such as soy nuggets or plant milk apply to 19 percent.
This has no effect on local prices in fast food restaurants; a VAT rate of 19 percent has applied again since 2024.
There is another problem here: Many substitute products in the catering industry come in smaller containers and are therefore more expensive and more labor-intensive.
“It takes longer to open and process ten 500 gram soy yoghurt cups than a 5 kilogram cow’s milk yoghurt cup,” says Netter.
Many substitute products such as veggie burgers are still “relatively new niche products”, which is why production is more expensive than long-established, mass-produced meat patties.
“This industrial animal husbandry is heavily subsidized, true prices are not reflected in the supply chain,” criticizes Netter
.
Deutsche Umwelthilfe is in favor of this being reversed – marketing campaign or not.
The discounter Lidl also announced in October that it would make vegan products cheaper.
Vegan products cheaper: Is McDonalds following suit?
Should other fast food chains follow suit?
A spokesman for McDonald's tells
BuzzFeed News Germany
about the vegan strategy that the restaurants are mainly operated by franchisees and that they, as independent entrepreneurs, decide on pricing.
“So there are actually no uniform prices in McDonald's restaurants across Germany,” he says.
There are only non-binding price recommendations, which are based, among other things, on size.
In this regard, the vegan McPlant Burger has a lower recommended retail price than the Royal TS Hamburger, which is comparable in size.
The vegan nuggets, on the other hand, are priced at the same level as the Chicken McNuggets.
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