A visit to the Leuchtendroter is not for spontaneous travelers, because the restaurant in the east of Frankfurt is often fully booked.

The menu includes dishes such as “Auberspießer” with baked aubergine, miso, raisins, anise and cinnamon or “Yellow Submarine” with zucchini, mustard, white cabbage and chanterelles - all without meat or other animal products.

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"We have many regular guests who actually eat meat and say they come to us to treat themselves to something," reports operations manager Lukas Dickmann. "That is a great confirmation for us." Because the kitchen is not vegan because they want to show what is right and what is wrong, says head chef Niclas Horn. “We are simply convinced that you can eat delicious vegan food.” The focus is on taste.

Meatless diet is the trend.

This has long been the cause of the food industry.

In 2020, German companies produced around 39 percent more meat substitute products compared to the previous year.

And the demand continues to grow.

The reasons for this are no longer just ecological and ethical aspects, as a Forsa survey shows.

Almost half of those surveyed who bought such products at least once ended up in the shopping cart because they thought they were healthy.

But is that also true?

"Some products have an incredible number of additives"

In general, it cannot be said that substitute products are healthier than meat, says Anneke von Reeken from the Lower Saxony consumer protection center.

Last year, the Lower Saxony consumer advocates scrutinized a total of 31 vegan alternatives to sausages, burger patties and schnitzel.

Particularly noticeable: many products contain a whole range of additives.

Thickeners and stabilizers are used to create a sausage or burger patty from the vegetable base, for example peas or soy.

If the products should also look appealing, dyes are often added.

In order to turn the threadbare plant fibers into tasty meat doppelgangers, you often have to dig into the aroma box.

“Some products have an incredible number of additives.

Sometimes there are nine, ten or even more additives on the list of ingredients, ”reports von Reeken.

Among them, the consumer advocates found questionable substances that should not be consumed often.

The good news, however, is that these substances were only found in a few products.

Among the products tested, there were also those that got by with few or no additives.

However, it is often difficult for consumers to see what is actually contained in the products, complains von Reeken.

"Basically, the longer the list of ingredients, the more critical you should be."

Often a lot of salt, fat and sugar

In their investigations in the past, Stiftung Warentest and Ökotest repeatedly found pollutants such as mineral oil hydrocarbons in the products.

The testers also complain that many products are too salty.

Because a high salt consumption increases the risk of high blood pressure and secondary diseases in the long run.

A good half of the minced meat alternatives examined by Ökotest had a salt content of more than 1.1 grams per 100 grams.

The DGE (German Society for Nutrition) recommends a maximum of 6 grams per day.

Since many meat substitute products contain a lot of fat and sugar in addition to table salt, these are not necessarily to be classified as beneficial from a nutritional point of view, says Silke Restemeyer from the DGE.