Vegetarians: More and more substitute products are causing the meat industry to shrink

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The days when vegans and vegetarians were considered sectarian eccentrics are over for good.

The trend towards Saitan schnitzel, tofu sausage and pea patties has been evident in the changing levels of shelves in supermarkets for a long time.

The Federal Statistical Office is now underpinning the boom in plant-based alternatives to meat with new figures.

The production of meat substitute products rose by a whopping 39 percent or a good 23,000 tons last year.

A total of almost 84,000 tons ran off the manufacturers' belts.

The career of herbal preparations from a niche market to a mass product has brought growers good business.

Compared to the previous year, the production value soared by a good 100 million euros to almost 375 million euros.

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It is also true that meat substitute products still only make up a good one percent compared to the 38.6 billion euro market for meat and meat products.

But the dynamic of the development is likely to make traditional fatteners, slaughterhouses and processors nervous - especially since, according to the Federal Statistical Office, their business shrank by four percent last year.

One of the main drivers behind the changes is the changed eating habits of the so-called Generation Z. According to a recently published survey by the University of Göttingen for the “Meat Atlas” by the environmental organization BUND and the Heinrich Böll Foundation, 10.4 percent of young people are already eating between 15 and 29 years of age vegetarian, plus 2.3 percent completely vegan.

The authors of the Meat Atlas also see a political statement in abstaining from meat.

Because three out of four vegans and every second vegetarian consider themselves to be part of the “Fridays for Future” climate protection movement.

The butcher industry is shrinking

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The fact that the steep rise in sales of veggie products is related to the politicization of the younger generation is not good news for the almost 23,000 pig and cattle farmers in Germany and the 128,000 employees in the processing industry, as consumption habits that are shaped by young people often adhere to them Lifelong.

In addition, many consumers of all ages are uncomfortable with meat consumption in general, triggered by the uncovering of questionable working conditions in the early phase of the pandemic, nourished by health concerns and intensified by a skeptical perception of the environmental impact of the production of food of animal origin. Even if the majority of consumers do not want to do without meat and sausage entirely, many of them are increasingly adding plant-based alternatives to their daily diet and are thus becoming flexitarians.

The closure of slaughterhouses last year could have contributed to the shrinkage of the industry, according to the Federal Statistical Office.

But also in the long term the trend is downward.

Whereas in 1978 a household consumed an average of 6.7 kilograms of meat per month, 40 years later it was only a third with 2.3 kilograms.

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Sausage and other preserved or processed meat products are not even included.

The decline in pork is particularly noticeable, the consumption of which fell from 3.1 kg to 0.9 kg per month on average.

But less beef and poultry were also eaten.

The food industry has long been adapting strategically.

World market leader Nestlé sold its German subsidiary Herta, a well-known sausage manufacturer, a year and a half ago.

At the same time, Nestlé invests hundreds of millions annually in the development of plant-based substitute products such as Garden Gourmet burger meatballs or plant-based tuna.

According to the company, over 300 of the Group's 3,500 scientists are working on the development of plant-based substitutes for meat and fish.

The trade is strengthening the trend with its own initiatives.

The discounter Lidl, for example, recently announced a test with Eco-Score, an environmental label based on the French model.

Based on the nutritional traffic light Nutri-Score, foods are classified in terms of their sustainability on a five-point scale from dark green A to red E, all on a leaf symbol.

“Customers can see the sustainability level of food transparently at a glance,” promises Lidl.

The award will initially be tried out over a period of several months in Berlin branches for a few selected product groups.

It is not just about individual criteria such as CO2 emissions, but rather 16 impact categories are included in the assessment, from climate change, water consumption or fine dust to soil acidification.

Additional criteria such as packaging, transport or organic seals can influence the classification up or down in the complex system.

Lidl speaks of the "currently most well-founded, independent product-related approach to sustainability assessment".

But in France, where Eco-Score has been around for a long time, the system is causing a dispute.

The meat industry in particular is dissatisfied with it.

It is not doing particularly well.

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