Former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder had a clear opinion: The currywurst is the "power bar of the skilled worker".

A few weeks ago, he started the hashtag #rettetdieCurrywurst after Volkswagen announced that it would forego meat in one of the company canteens.

Telekom boss Timotheus Höttges also confessed his love for currywurst in the comment columns under Schröder's post.

In general, politicians and the currywurst seem to have a close relationship.

Hesse's Prime Minister Volker Bouffier (CDU) also toured in the 2018 election campaign under the event title “On a Currywurst with Volker Bouffier”.

Will he and his successors have to do without it in the future?

It only partly looks like it.

The move away from the sausage

Dieter Nachreiner, manager of “Rob's Kulinarium” in the German National Library, definitely sees this turning away from sausages. “The demand for vegan and vegetarian dishes is increasing. And that also applies to typical meat eaters. ”This also has an effect on his offer: of four dishes that he offers every day, only one is with meat - it used to be the other way around. His personal convictions also contribute to this: “Unfortunately, meat products are not always sustainable. Meat should actually become more expensive, but animal welfare should be guaranteed. ”The costs for vegetarian products sometimes exceed those of meat products: while Nachreiner has to pay 15 euros for one kilogram of walnuts, a schnitzel costs six euros.

Rolf Walter, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the “Consortium”, agrees that meat is too cheap. The catering service operates the restaurants on the Taunusturm and the Opernturm, among others. Unlike Nachreiner, however, Walter sees no decline in meat products. The reason: "Many people are not prepared to pay proportionally more for the vegetarian or vegan dishes." This trend is limited at most to younger customers who are more demanding in this regard and want to know more about their food. The proportion of vegetarian dishes at Consortium is around 35 percent, including the salad bar and cold dishes. For vegan products it is five to eight percent. But overall the rule applies: "You can offer the best food when schnitzel or currywurst is on the menu,people take that. "

Something similar can be observed in the canteen at Frankfurt Airport.

There, too, younger customers in particular want the opportunity to order vegan or vegetarian dishes.

"To date, that doesn't mean that less meat is being offered," says Jens Kraner, who works in the administration of Airport Cater GmbH.

However, this does not cause them any higher costs.

"That is a similar level."

Climate-controlled canteens with a sustainable menu

The Hessian Ministry of the Environment is promoting the reduction of meat dishes in canteens. Since June, the country has been looking for “100 climate canteens” that are committed to more sustainable nutrition. There are guidelines for this, a network for exchanging experiences and individual advice for large kitchens. There will also be financial support, with a total of 200,000 euros available for up to 80 canteens.

Nevertheless, the meat content on the menus in Hessian canteens is not falling significantly. This is also due to the demand. “Every year we do a survey about the most popular food in the canteens. First place is the currywurst ”, says Julius Wagner, managing director of the Hessian hotel and restaurant association Dehoga. Nevertheless, the canteens or “communal catering”, as it is officially called, react to external trends. “The large company canteens also have to hold their own against the competition that employees usually go to during their lunch break,” says Wagner.

The supply is expanding because you have to react to the new demand.

Vegetarian and vegan products are on the increase, but the currywurst is not on the decline - and the Dehoga does not observe rising costs due to more vegetarian food: “Many companies subsidize the canteens because it is part of their personnel policy whether I invite employees to lunch get a table. "

So the picture is not entirely clear: although there is more and more vegan and vegetarian food in the Hessian canteens, this does not mean everywhere that meat is no longer on the plate.

The most important message for the election campaign, however, is probably: The "power bar of the skilled worker" is safe.