Meat substitutes continue to be trendy in Germany

According to the Destatis Statistische Bundesamt, the market for alternative meats for vegetarians and vegans is booming. In 2021, German companies produced almost 17.0% more meat substitutes compared to the previous year. Compared to 2019, production even increased by 62.2%, according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).

In 2021, 97,900 tons of meat substitutes were produced, up from about 83,700 tons the previous year and 60,400 tons two years earlier. The value of these products increased by 22.2% in 2021 compared to the previous year and amounted to EUR 458.2 million (2020: EUR 374.9 million). Compared to 2019, the value increased by 68.0%. At that time it was 272.8 million euros. The number of companies producing such products in Germany also increased from 34 in 2019 and 2020 to 44 in 2021.

Despite this increase, the cost of meat substitutes is relatively low compared to meat products. In 2021, the value of meat and meat products produced in Germany was 35.6 billion euros, about 80 times the cost of meat substitutes. However, since 2019, there has been a decrease in the cost of meat products - for the second year in a row. In 2021, the indicator fell by 7.8% compared to the previous year, by 11.3% compared to 2019. In 2019, the value of meat production in Germany reached its highest value in ten years at 40.1 billion euros.

In Germany, less and less meat has been consumed in recent years. According to the Federal Institute for Agriculture and Food (BLE), per capita consumption in 2021 was 55.0 kg. This is a decrease of 12% compared to 2011 (62.8 kg per capita) and the lowest value since the beginning of the calculation in 1989.