Germany: 9.3 million vegetarians and vegans

On World Vegetarian Day the German the vegetarian association ProVeg (the former bund Deutschland) provided an overview of current developments in the veggie movement.

 The Allensbach Institute for Public Opinion Research and  the market research and opinion polling organisation YouGov have established that 8 million people in Germany, more than 10 percent of the population, eat a vegetarian diet. According to a survey carried out by the market research institute Skopos, a further 1.3 million people in Germany are vegans. Three years ago the figure was, according to ProVeg, only 900,000.

ProVeg attributes this growth to people in general becoming increasingly aware of the benefits of plant-based nutrition. The consumer and market research company Nielsen recently found out that 31 percent of Germans are choosing to eat less meat. “A vegetarian lifestyle is the solution to many of the world's most urgent problems. More and more consumers are recognising the benefits of plant-based nutrition for animals, the environment and their own health. The increasing offer of tasty vegetarian products makes it easier for people to adhere to a more vegetarian and therefore a more sustainable diet,” explains Sebastian Joy, the managing director of ProVeg.



Veggie products: turnover of 686 million euros in 2016


An increasing number of companies are offering innovative vegetarian products. Germany is leading the way: according to Mintel, new products promoted as vegetarian in Germany more than doubled from 3 percent  7 percent in the five years from 2012 to 2016. Data from the market research institute Nielsen reveal that the turnover of vegetarian products in the retail food trade rose to 686 million euros in 2016 – an increase of  19 percent compared with the year before. 



Meat consumption: 8 kilograms less than 20 years ago


For years people in Germany have been eating less meat. The per capital consumption of 60 kilograms in 2016 was about one kilogram less than in 2015. Within the last  20 years consumption has declined by as much as 8 kilograms. In particular, much less pork was eaten in 2016.  The Federal Office for Agriculture and Food tells us that since 2011 consumption of pork in Germany has decreased by 10 percent.

Gastronomy: 616 vegetarian restaurants in Germany


The vegan trend has now reached the gastronomy sector.  According to the GV-Barometer 2017,  a rich variety of vegetarian food is one of the most important trends in gastronomy of the future. More and more guests want to see healthy vegetarian dishes on the menu, and 58 percent of entrepreneurs in gastronomy assume that the importance of vegetarian food will continue to grow. In big and medium-size cities in Germany there are currently at least 616 purely vegetarian eateries, which is nearly twice as many as last year. Berlin is clearly in the lead with its 193 wholly vegetarian restaurants and cafés but in other cities too you find plenty of places where you can try out the vegetarian offer. The ProVeg restaurant database makes it easy find restaurants near you. The ProVeg V label is an internationally protected quality logo identifying vegetarian and vegan food and it helps consumers to choose when shopping.