New German research shows that fewer and fewer Germans are eating meat every day and that more Germans are occasionally consuming vegan meat substitutes. This is evident from the annual representative opinion poll into the eating habits of Germans, conducted by the Forsa agency on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture.
According to the report, one in five Germans (20%) still eats meat and sausage every day. That was one in four a year ago (25%), and in 2015 about one in three (34 percent). At the same time, 22% of Germans indicates that they regularly consume vegan meat substitutes. The German average is now below the EU average.
These changing eating habits have significant consequences for German agriculture, horticulture and livestock farming. The decline in meat consumption has led to a rethink of production in the meat industry, with a growing demand for plant-based alternatives, the report concludes.
German supermarkets and restaurants are responding to this trend by offering a wider variety of meatless options bieden. In Lidl supermarkets in Germany, vegan meat substitutes now cost as much as regular meat. At 18 percent, the share of vegan eaters is highest among Germans aged 14 to 29 and lowest (5%) among people aged 60 and over.
The vast majority of respondents (94 percent) consider it very important to ensure better conditions in livestock farming with fewer animals in the stables. Reducing food waste is also important to respondents. 92 percent are in favor of less food waste in households and companies.
For 93 percent, an obligation for supermarkets to give away expired food for free is a solution. Almost as many people believe that food that has already been thrown away but is still edible can be taken from supermarket waste containers with impunity.