Sustainability

30 October 2023

World Vegan Day: plant-based alternative products have arrived in everyday life

Over a quarter of consumers regularly use it according to a survey / Taste beats price
Reading time: 4 min.

Vegan alternative products seem to have found their way into people’s everyday lives in Germany: In a recent GfK survey commissioned by REWE to mark World Vegan Day on 1 November, 57.5 per cent said they had already bought these products. And more importantly, just under 27 per cent said that they replace animal products with plant-based alternatives at least several times a week.

Incidentally, if you want to convince even more consumers of the benefits of plant-based alternative products, you should focus primarily on flavour: In the survey, 48.6 per cent of respondents stated that taste was the decisive criterion for them. This was followed at some distance by price (24.3 per cent) and the organic quality of the products (13.8 per cent).

When asked why they ultimately bought such products, more than half (54.8 per cent) answered that they simply wanted to try them out. This was followed by animal welfare (38.8 per cent) and health (28.3 per cent). Climate protection came a close fourth (27.2 per cent).

Those who have already bought plant-based alternatives also have a top five of their favourite plant-based alternatives. Their favourite substitutes:

  • Meat (68 per cent)

  • Milk (51 per cent)

  • Milk products (39.9 per cent)

  • Spreads (39.6 per cent)

  • Chocolates / sweets (17.7 per cent)

Interesting: Among very young people (aged 18 to 29), plant-based alternatives to honey, eggs and fish are also very popular.

We are noticing more and more that people are open to vegan alternatives and are simply happy to try them out. At REWE, for example, there is now such a wide range that it can provide a lot of variety in the kitchen. What’s more, many classic dishes can also be prepared vegan – without compromising on flavour, says Anja Corvin, an ecotrophologist at REWE.

The representative survey was conducted by the data and analytics company GfK on behalf of REWE. For the survey, GfK eBUS® interviewed 1005 German citizens between the ages of 18 and 74. The survey period was October 2023.

REWE also shows how much vegan products not only help animal welfare, but also help the climate in another way: the “climate prices”. This type of calculation is not about euros and cents, but about the carbon footprint of individual products. To this end, REWE has had the “price” of food products calculated on the basis of their impact on the climate, i.e. their emissions and impact. Three examples are used to illustrate the potential savings for the climate:

  • 72 per cent reduction: REWE Beste Wahl vegan soya natural, which has only 0.51 CO2e/kg (compared to 1.85 CO2e/kg REWE ja! natural yoghurt 3.5 %)

  • 84 per cent reduction: REWE Beste Wahl Genießer slices, which have only 3.62 CO2e/kg (compared to 21.46 CO2e/kg for REWE ja! medium-aged Gouda in slices)

  • 66 per cent reduction: REWE Beste Wahl vegan meat sausage, which has only 2.61 CO2e/kg (compared to 7.78 CO2e/kg for REWE ja! meat sausage)

About REWE

  • With sales of 30.6 billion euros (2023), more than 170.000 employees and over 3,800 REWE stores, REWE Markt GmbH is one of Germany’s leading food retail companies. REWE stores are run as subsidiaries or by independent REWE retailers.

    The cooperatively organised REWE Group is one of the leading trade and tourism groups in Germany and Europe. In 2023, the company generated a total external turnover of around 92billion euros. Founded in 1927, the REWE Group has around 390,000 employees and operates in 21 European countries.

Raimund_Esser

Contact

Raimund Esser

Head of Corporate Communications and Spokesperson REWE Markt

+49 221 149 1050 [email protected]

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