German meat firms swell meat-free presence

10-Jun-2015 - Last updated on 11-Jun-2015 at 11:44 GMT

Anuga will feature three halls dedicated to meat this year

German meat firms are increasingly targeting vegan consumers, launching products tailored to that section of the market, according to organisers of global trade show Anuga.

What had been a fledgling trend two years ago was now beginning to build, journalists attending a press event promoting the show yesterday (June 10) heard.

Now the number of German meat processors with vegan lines exhibiting at the event had reached double figures, said Anuga project manager Lorenz Rau.

“For German companies this really started in the last year,” he said. “The first movers started in 2013, with smaller companies and more innovative products.”

They were responding directly to growing demand from German consumers as they changed their consumption habits, said Rau. “They are thinking as meat producers that the only way to grow is by having vegetarian and vegan product lines.”

In the past two years, for example, Wiesenhof had launched a vegan sausage line and Rügenwalder Mühle had developed a full vegan product line, including vegan meatballs, he said. Tönnies had begun developing vegan products as well, he added.

His comments coincided with the release of a Mintel report based on a survey of 1,000 consumers claiming young Germans were turning to vegetarianism.

Almost one in five respondents between the ages of 16 and 24 said they purchased meat-alternative products, compared with an average of one in 10 across all age groups.

Sustainable products, halal food, animal welfare, convenience, the growing strength of own-label and online food trading were also significant trends that would be highlighted at Anuga, said Rau.

In addition, he said supermarkets were developing to include a foodservice offering within their portfolio to cater for shoppers who were used to eating on the move. This would be another trend reflected at the show, he claimed.

Exhibitor space was now fully booked for the show, the theme for which would be ‘Taste The Future’ and which runs from October 10-14 in Cologne, he said.

Three halls will be dedicated to meat firms, halls 5, 6 and 9, representing a total of 55,000m²of space.

A total of 6,800 exhibitors from more than 100 countries are expected to attend, together with 155,000 visitors from more than 180 countries.