The “Weltenretter-Index 2023” survey, commissioned by restaurant chain Peter Pane, finds 3% of Germans strictly avoid animal products and another 21% frequently so, suggesting around quarter of Germans follow a majority plant-based diet.
The results come a month after the company’s founder Patrick Junge stated, “People who eat a meat-free diet are not nerds, but pioneers. I am convinced that meat consumption will soon have as little reputation as smoking. In 20 years it will be the exception”.
According to the survey, unsurprisingly, women are more inclined towards a meat-free diet, with 31% often or consistently avoiding animal ingredients compared to 17% of men. Young adults aged 18 to 39, especially female, are leading this change. One in three people demand more meat-free options in stores and eateries, while 80% of Germans value sustainable diets. Most Germans are aware of and try to reduce food waste.
Among different age groups, 28% of 18 to 39-year-olds, 20% of 40 to 59-year-olds, and 23% of those 60 and older regularly adopt vegan diets. Young adults also strongly advocate for more meat substitutes, with their demand 20% higher than older age groups. One third of respondents believe that these substitutes are beneficial for sustainability.
Plant-forward preferences in food service
Vegan dining is increasingly popular in Germany, with 13% of the population, especially under-40s (19%) and women (17%), preferring restaurants featuring vegetables as the main dish. There’s growing demand for more vegetarian and vegan options in restaurants for environmental reasons, with 37% of all consumers, 46% of 18 to 39-year-olds, and 46% of women advocating for this. In contrast, about 30% of over-40s and men support this idea.
Additionally, sustainability in nutrition is a significant concern for most Germans. 81% value sustainable eating, 78% buy regional products, 58% choose organic foods, 55% prefer fair trade products, and two-thirds aim to minimize packaging waste.
“On the Peter Pane menu, 57 percent of dishes and 22 percent of burgers are already vegan or vegetarian. In ten to 20 years, we want to establish a completely meat-free offering. Preparations for this are going well: Peter Pane has already taken second place three times in the ProVeg ranking 2020, 2022, and 2023 as Germany’s most vegan-friendly restaurant chain. We have noticed: variety is well received. For example, the patties containing meat can be replaced with six vegetarian or vegan patties. Demand for the patty alternatives has risen continuously since their introduction in 2017,” says Patrick Junge.
For the “World Saviour Index 2023” study commissioned by Peter Pane, 1,000 people in Germany aged 18 and over were surveyed. The representative survey was conducted online by the market research institute Forsa in June 2023.
