Pioneering the Culinary Arts: Austria Launches the World’s First Vegetarian-Vegan Culinary Apprenticeship
Starting July 1, 2025, Austria will introduce a vegetarian and vegan culinary apprenticeship program. A draft regulation from Austria’s Ministry of Economy and Labor regarding this culinary training was already prepared in June 2024. Austrian Labor Minister Martin Kocher (ÖVP) has now officially announced the publication of the regulation, marking a significant milestone for the hospitality industry. Vegan Society Austria welcomes the Vegetarian Apprenticeship “Austria can be proud: with 5% of the population identifying as vegan, the country leads Europe and is now a global trailblazer in meat-free culinary education,” said Felix Hnat, Chairman of the Vegan Society Austria. The society’s years of advocacy have paid off. Through its Vegucation project, over 300 instructors have been trained as vegan-certified chefs. Lisa Klein, Vegucation project manager, …
