Vegans More through modern food technology

Herbal products are gaining more and more popularity

22/10/2013

Vegan nutrition is becoming more and more popular - because modern methods can produce more and more foods that taste like meat, but still consist of plant substances. This could lead to a serious change in nutrition in the next few years.

Vegans can hope for more product choices
Whether vegan burgers, schnitzel or roast chicken: More and more products could in the future lie in local supermarket shelves, which taste and look like meat, but are nevertheless purely vegetable. While there is already a relatively large choice in the US in this area, there is still some catching up to do in Europe. But according to the head of the German Institute of Food Technology, Volker Heinz, vegans in this country could soon hope for a larger product selection.

Very high quality vegan poultry meat
This would, according to Volker Heinz primarily the replacement for chicken or turkey meat, because „an analogous product to beef, to the beef steak can not be made in the way“, so the expert opposite the news agency „dpa“. In the case of vegan poultry, on the other hand, according to Heinz, high quality can certainly be produced, which makes the difference for consumers „real“ Meat is hardly recognizable. Therefore, further development and expansion of the supply of herbal products could ensure that more and more people resort to vegan foods, the expert continued. This would also suggest that herbal products may possibly be higher quality in the future than the animal original. After all, pigs would normally be slaughtered after about six months, according to today's mast criteria, „you can not produce Serrano quality ham here“, so Heinz to the dpa. In the form of a vegan plant product, however, this is quite possible.

Production without risky chemicals
According to Heinz, the production of the corresponding products is unproblematic and does not require any chemicals - instead, the meatless alternatives are made from vegetable protein concentrates, water and spices as well as the use of temperature and so-called „shear“ manufactured. Even though the new possibilities will probably lead to more and more people becoming vegan products in the future, Heinz does not like one yet „Food turnaround“ speak - because rapid changes in the food sector are not likely in his view. Instead, it is quite one „Perceptual change in developed countries“ to determine, because in many European countries and the US already go back the meat consumption, so Heinz further to the dpa.

Faster change of consciousness than at „Bio“?
Christian Vagedes, founder of the Vegan Society Germany, believes in a faster change in consumer awareness, triggered by the growing appeal of vegan foods. So be „this trend will be a bit faster than organic“, suspected Vagedes to the dpa. Because here more than 20 years had to pass before corresponding products were to be found in every ordinary supermarket, whereas purely herbal products would already be on the shelf at almost every discount store.

Vegan diet even on a small budget
According to the experts, a vegan diet does not have to be expensive, but instead a high-quality and varied vegan lifestyle can be practiced on a small budget: „At many discounters, there are organic plant milk for less than 90 cents per liter, there are organic meat alternatives and tofu, which you get for less than 3 euros and with which you can prepare a dish for two people“, informs Vagedes in conversation with the online newspaper „zeitjung.de“.

„Veganfach Fair“ informed on 2 November in Hamburg
Vegan is booming - so too at this year's „Veganfach Fair“ on November 2nd in Hamburg, where the leading vegan brand-name manufacturers will present their innovative products. In addition, visitors can be here from 10 to 18 clock in the event terminal „tango“ At Hamburg Airport you can also attend lectures and cooking shows and also try the variety of vegan food. According to Christian Vagedes an important event for all vegans and interested, because „the vegan subject is for anyone who is well aware and wants to combine vegan with bio, fairtrade and other ethical standards as much as possible“, such a recent communication of „Vegan Society Germany e.V.“ (No)

Picture: Mika Abey