Opinion: The rise of plant-based
By Nicole Günther, Managing Director Green Seed Germany:
I have to admit that I was among those who were rather sceptical at first when more and more “vegan headlines” made the news in Germany some years ago. Back then, I thought this would once again be a case of vegans representing only a very small share of the vegetarian community but making a lot of noise. After all, the majority of products at that time did not really taste good. But when Ruegenwalder Muehle, one of the leading cooked meat brands, launched a range of vegetarian products at the end of 2014, even sceptics could not ignore that the trend to reduce meat consumption was here to stay.
The German market has historically been difficult for chilled products with short shelf life and certainly not famous for excellent category management in grocery retail. But in recent weeks, meat-free ingredients such as mince as well as meal components like burger patties and sausages have appeared on shelf right next to their meat counterparts. Unthinkable only a while ago!
One can only hope that this will entice meat aficionados (NB: not the meat gourmets but the meat gluttons) to engage in serious soul-searching regarding their daily intake of cooked meat. It is easy to maintain a meat-rich diet in Germany, as meat and sausages are quite cheap. Demanding higher prices does not mean that in future only people who can afford it are supposed to eat meat. In truth the idea that everyone should be entitled to consume meat and sausages every single day needs to change. All food products need to be perceived to be of higher value here.
Hope is around the corner!
New generations are growing up with more appreciation for food in general, helped by tasty food alternative product launches. We are seeing significant movement in plant-based products across various categories in Germany, driven by start-ups and larger players alike. Looking at meat-free, we started out with soy-based sausages, meat balls and schnitzels. Today, second generations are launched with different protein bases – flavour of the month is pea protein, locally sourced, if possible – and cleaner labelling. However, to be plant-based is no longer enough – your brand needs to have a compelling social or environmental added value element to justify its existence. So what will be next?
It will be interesting to see what direction plant-based is going – not least to see how German consumers will rethink their consumption behaviour and long held dietary habits.