Survey Study Fewer and fewer people eat meat

Around eight million vegetarians now live in Germany, which is more than ten percent of the population *. A total of 900,000 people live vegan, and the trend is rising. According to a study by the Gesellschaft für Konsumforschung (GfK) in Nuremberg, the number of vegetarians has increased more than fifteenfold since 1983. At that time, only about 0.6 percent of the population fed vegetarian. A representative survey also concludes that 42 million flexitarians, also called part-time vegetarians, currently live in Germany. They do not eat meat on three or more days a week. "The vegetable way of life has long arrived in the middle of society. This is shown by the currently low meat consumption and the growing supply of veggie products in the supermarket or restaurant, "says Sebastian Joy, Managing Director of VEBU. "Whether for ethical reasons, to protect the environment and the climate, to maintain your own health or because of curiosity, there are many reasons to discover the vegetarian-vegan way of life," Joy continued.

People in Germany eat less meat
The people living in Germany eat less and less meat. The meat consumption is currently in this country as low as never before. This shows the 'supply balance meat 2015' of the Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food **. Overall, consumers in Germany would consume 59.17 kilograms of meat per year and per person.
UN experts *** propose smarter and more resource-efficient food production to further reduce meat consumption in the coming years. It would also help the higher taxation of these products proposed in terms of the required reduction of consumption of meat and animal foods, the experts said.

More and more people prefer to eat vegetarian food. Image: Alliance - fotolia

Vegetarian food on the road to success
The demand for vegetarian-vegan products and services is growing rapidly. All well-known supermarkets and discounters meanwhile carry a wide product range of vegetable meat alternatives. The increase in consumption of these products shows the boom that the plant's lifestyle continues to experience. According to a market analysis by the Cologne Institute for Trade Research (IFH), sales of 454 million euros in vegetarian and vegan products were generated in 2015.

Veggie Restaurants
"Today it is easier than ever to feed on vegetables or to resort to vegan alternatives. If you do not want to use a spoon yourself to prepare a herbal meal, visit one of the many restaurants. In Berlin alone, there are currently more than 40 vegan restaurants, "says Joy. An overview of the restaurants in Berlin and nationwide offers the VEBU in its restaurant database. It facilitates the search for meat-free restaurants. The user can filter the data by location and offer ('predominantly vegetarian', 'purely vegetarian', 'predominantly vegan' and 'purely vegan').

Vegetarian products carry the V label
Orientation when purchasing vegetarian products offers the V-label. The V-Label is an internationally protected quality seal for the labeling of vegetarian and vegan foods. It is used as a guide on packaging. Consumers can see at first glance when purchasing, whether a product is suitable for them. The V label is awarded in Germany in the categories 'vegan' and 'vegetarian' by the VEBU. Not all substances used in production appear on the list of ingredients. Until now, consumers can only be sure that a food is vegetarian or vegan by requesting a product from the manufacturer. If the product is licensed under the V label, consumers can be sure that it is a vegetarian or vegan product.

* For the number of vegetarians see: https://vebu.de/veggie-fakten/entwicklung-in-zahlen/anzahl-veganer-und-vegetarier-in-deutschland/

** Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food, Supply of meat in Germany in calendar year 2015

*** http://www.unep.org/resourcepanel/
Food Systems and Natural Resources,
United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), 2016
The International Resource Panel (IRP)
Working Group on Food Systems and Natural Resources chaired by Maarten Hajer
The full report should be referenced as follows: UNEP (2016) Food Systems and Natural Resources. A Report of the Working Group on Food Systems of the International Resource Panel. Westhoek, H, Ingram J., Van Berkum, S., Ozay, L., and Hajer M.
Job Number: DTI / 1982 / PAISBN: 978-92-807-3560-4