The nutritional trend towards meat substitute products continued last year.
In 2021, 98,000 tons of food worth 458 million euros were produced in Germany, replacing meat or meat products with plant-based alternatives, as reported by the Federal Statistical Office on Monday.
The quantity increased by 17 percent compared to the previous year, the value of the goods even by 22.2 percent.
The number of companies also increased from 34 in 2019 and 2020 to 44 in 2021.
The value of meat and meat products produced in Germany was 35.6 billion euros last year - that was around 80 times the value of meat substitutes, as the statisticians explained.
However, a decline has been observed here since 2019: in 2021 the value fell by 7.8 percent compared to the previous year, in 2020 by 11.3 percent.
In 2019, the value of meat production in Germany had reached its highest level in ten years: 40.1 billion euros.
In Germany, less and less meat has recently been consumed: According to the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food, per capita consumption was 55.0 kilograms per capita in 2021.
That was a drop of 12 percent or 7.8 kilograms per person per year compared to 2011, as the statisticians explained.
It was the lowest since the calculations began in 1989.