SPAR Austria is collaborating with Veganuary for the first time and is supporting the global initiative for a purely plant-based diet in January. SPAR reports that its own-brand range includes over 800 vegetarian and vegan products among various lines, including 120 under SPAR Veggie alone.
The meat-free range at SPAR is supplemented by products from various manufacturers, including many startups. SPAR Veggie sales have more than doubled in the last 5 years. In 2023 alone, sales grew by 24%, says the company.
Growth at SPAR Veggie
The SPAR brand SPAR Veggie now offers 120 vegan and vegetarian products and the company states that sales of this range more than doubled from 2018 to 2023. Compared to the previous year, there was an increase in sales of 24 percent, meaning that 2023 was the year with the highest sales since the introduction of the own-brand in 2012.
In addition to SPAR Veggie, other SPAR brands, such as SPAR Natur*pur or SPAR Vital, also include a variety of plant-based products – a total of over 600 vegan and 220 vegetarian. In addition, SPAR has an extensive range for vegans and vegetarians from various branded goods manufacturers.
With an investment of around 3 million euros in appropriate machines and systems, SPAR’s own TANN meat plants in St. Pölten (Lower Austria) and Wernberg (Carinthia) have been producing meat-free new products since the beginning of 2023. This enables SPAR to quickly bring innovations in the vegan range to market and respond individually to customer requests. A special highlight is the vegan meatloaf, which was previously available in the hot counter and from mid-February will also be available for self-service baking at home throughout Austria at SPAR, EUROSPAR, and INTERSPAR.
Plant-based developments in Austria
A recent Smart Protein survey on European consumers revealed a continuous dietary shift in Austria, finding that over half of Austrians have reduced their meat consumption since 2021. The study, carried out by ProVeg International, in partnership with Innova Market Insights, the University of Copenhagen, and Ghent University, showed that Austria is leading the way in veganism, with the vegan population rising from 3% to 5% since 2021.
Also worth noting in this context is the continuous plant-forward approach adopted by leading Austrian supermarket chain Billa which has made huge strides in plant-based business, especially over the course of 2023, during which it opened its second fully plant-based store, BILLA PFLANZILLA, in Graz.
In November Billa opened a new superstore featuring an area called “PFLANZILLA Welt” (PFLANZILLA World), which is dedicated entirely to plant-based products and revealed that a further 20 of these areas are set to open in other stores across the country.
Exciting Austrian startups in the alternative foods space include Wunderkern and Revo Foods, both of which saw consistent success over 2023. In October, Wunderkern introduced the first plant-based cheese alternative made from fruit pits to be available in national retail, while Revo, as many of our readers will be aware, brought the first-ever 3D-printed product available on supermarket shelves when it launched its 3d printed salmon filet at Billa Pflanzilla.
“We are entering a creative food revolution, an era where food is being crafted exactly according to the customer needs. We are not just creating a vegan alternative; we are shaping the future of food itself,” commented Robin Simsa, CEO of Revo Foods.
