Which German doesn't love sausages? Especially when you put vegetables and meat substitutes on the grill
As Deutsche Welle writes, there is a boom in vegetarian food in Germany. Revenue in such most indicative product groups as meat substitutes and plant-based spreads for sandwiches has almost doubled over the past five years, notes the marketing research institute GfK: from 123 million euros in 2010 to 213 million in 2014. In the first quarter of this year, the trend intensified further: turnover increased by 27 percent compared to the first quarter of last year – from 54 to 68 million euros.
The nationwide association VEBU (Vegetarierbund Deutschland) claims that there are currently about 7 million vegetarians and about 1.2 million vegans in the country, who are even stricter in rejecting food of animal origin. In this case, it turns out that over ten percent of the residents of Germany have completely given up meat (the country's population is 81 million people).
GfK experts consider this percentage to be greatly inflated. At the same time, they point to an increasingly numerous group of so-called "part-time vegetarians," who have not stopped eating meat but consciously limit its consumption. This is about 12 percent of the population, according to a joint study by the universities of Hohenheim and Göttingen conducted in 2013. In 2014, according to GfK, 11.2 million people in Germany bought meat substitutes and plant-based spreads.
At the same time, the segment of meat substitutes grew the fastest both in revenue and in number of buyers, although they are, it would seem, much more unusual for consumers than spreads. "Such growth cannot be provided by vegans alone, who regularly buy soy products," GfK experts believe.
In an analytical review titled "Green Light for 'Veggies'," they conclude that vegetarian food has ceased to be a niche product and is now in demand by broad sections of the population in today's Germany. "Including those who have no fundamental objections to meat." By consciously limiting their meat consumption, people think not only about their own health and the welfare of animals, but also about climate protection, GfK experts believe, since mass livestock farming also contributes to the greenhouse effect.
The driving force of the vegetarian boom is the younger generations of Germans up to and including 39 years old. They accounted for 34 percent of revenue from sales of meat substitutes and plant-based spreads last year, write GfK experts. Sociologist Karin Tischer (KarinTischer) sketches the following portrait of the average German vegan: aged 30 to 40, female, and with extensive social connections, i.e., not an outsider at all.
The age group 40-49 accounted for 23 percent of revenue last year, those aged 50 to 59 – 18 percent. The share of buyers over 60 is 25 percent. Previously, the differences between these age groups were not so great, GfK experts state. The shifts, in their opinion, are due not so much to the fact that older generations began to spend less on vegetarian food products, but rather to an "extraordinary" increase in spending by young buyers in a situation where their share in the overall population structure is decreasing due to the aging of society.
Obvious shifts are also occurring in the sales structure. The share of specialized vegetarian stores in total sales is steadily declining: from 32 percent in 2010 to 28 percent in 2014. A similar picture is seen with discounters: a decrease from 27 to 24 percent. But classic grocery supermarkets, which have higher prices but also a much wider assortment, have, on the contrary, steadily strengthened their positions in the meat substitutes market in recent years: from 17 to 24 percent. Thus, more than 250 stores of the REWE chain have "freed up entire shelves" for vegetarian food products, the GfK study indicates.
According to Karin Tischer's observations, the popularity of all kinds of vegetarian burgers is growing particularly rapidly in Germany at the moment: "There is no limit to creativity." Even confectionery manufacturers are adapting to the new trend. Their nationwide association BDSI announced in February that the industry intends to expand its range of products made without any animal-derived ingredients, such as gelatin, in the coming years.
So it can be said quite confidently that full or partial renunciation of meat is not a fleeting fashion, but one of the main trends in today's German food market. This is also confirmed by data from the meat industry: if in the early 90s in Germany about 100 kilograms of meat (carcass weight) per capita were consumed annually, then by 2012 this figure had fallen to 87 kilograms.
In theory, consumption of fruits and vegetables should have grown simultaneously. But that is precisely not happening. On the contrary, according to GfK, demand from generation to generation is rather shrinking, despite relatively low prices in German stores. As a result, in 2014, each household in Germany averaged about 155 kilograms of vegetables and fruits, which is significantly less than the recommended amount. However, this means that plant-based food has enormous potential in Germany.