Spinach and vegetable dumplings, pumpkin and rice pan and wholemeal spaghetti with mushrooms - these and other vegan dishes can be found on the meal plans of the Frankfurt student union.

In its 17 canteens, meat or completely animal-free dishes now make up a large part of the offer.

Kevin Hanschke

volunteer.

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Although there are still beef sausages with curry ketchup and roast pork in Frankfurt, the Studierendenwerk is one of the major suppliers that gear their offerings to the needs of vegans and vegetarians.

This is confirmed by a study by the private health insurer Ottonova, which examined the canteen offers and prices in 40 German university towns.

For the survey, the menus were compared over a period of three weeks.

As it turns out, most universities are on the way to such vegetarian and vegan dishes forming the main part of the daily offer.

According to its own information, the Frankfurt student union offers one vegetarian and one vegan meal every day in all canteens and cafeterias.

“The Fridays for Future generation has long since arrived at the Studierendenwerk.

But it's not just from this generation that we're following new trends," says Gudrun Hartmann, department head of the catering establishments.

In the Ottonova survey, 41 percent of meal options were vegetarian and 21 percent vegan.

According to the Studierendenwerk, more than half of the dishes offered daily in Frankfurt are meatless.

This puts the canteens there in a top position, together with those in Stuttgart and Berlin.

Eat more climate-friendly – ​​and cheaper

Vegan and vegetarian food has been standard in Frankfurt for a decade, says Hartmann.

The kitchen team is currently working on making the menus even more climate-friendly.

“Right now, labeling our dishes with an environmental score is on our agenda.

With this, our guests can see how climate-friendly dishes are.” The canteen team hopes that the scores could be introduced this year, as more and more students are asking for such information.

That's right, says Marit Hellmann, who studies political science at Goethe University.

“I think it would be even better if there were only vegetarian and vegan dishes.

That's environmentally friendly – ​​hardly any CO2 emissions, and it's also healthier.” According to the Ottonova study, students can also save significantly if they choose the vegetarian option.

On average, this costs 2.24 euros, while a meal with meat or fish costs an average of 2.94 euros.