Nutritional vegan already outdated vegetarian

Vegan diet: Germany is a pioneer in Europe
Vegans abstain from products of animal origin and feed exclusively on plant foods. The demand for vegan products is increasing throughout Europe, but in no other country is this development as pronounced as in Germany. In 2015, most vegan foods and beverages in the EU were newly introduced to the German market. The share was 36 percent, informs the market research firm Mintel. This was followed by the United Kingdom (21%), France (7%) and Italy (4%).

The vegan diet is still on the rise. Picture: sarsmis - fotolia

Veganism is spreading in commerce and gastronomy. In 2015, every tenth food or drink newly introduced in Germany was "vegan" (EU: 5%), while only six percent were labeled as "vegetarian" (EU: 9%). In 2013, the share was still at three percent each. In catering Berlin is a pioneer with more than 30 vegan restaurants and a large number of vegan cafés.

Especially with meat substitutes, there are many innovations - ranging from vegan liver sausage and smoked bacon to wild imitations. "Vegan" products accounted for more than half of total launches of meat substitutes in 2015. This is a significant increase compared to 2011 with 8 percent. Often, these products also have organic quality.

Meat substitutes often contain additives and preservatives for stabilization and better taste. However, manufacturers are changing their formulas to make the products more natural. More and more vegan meat substitutes appear with hints like "no additives" or "no preservatives". In 2015, 18 percent of all launches of vegan meat substitutes in Germany bore such labels. (Heike Cross, aid)