Vegan – WE CAN!
Vegan lifestyle choices
among young Germans& Japanese
Dr. Anna Schrade, March 13th, 2024

What is a vegan diet / veganism?

Definitions:• Vegan diet = plantbased diet:• no animal products(such as meat, fish,cheese, dairy, eggs,
honey etc.)• Vegan lifestyle:• no animal products,
no animal-derivedproducts (such asleather shoes or woolclothes), no products
tested on animals

Figuresabout veganlifestyle inGermany

German diets 2022:• Vegans: 2% of population• Vegetarians: 10% of population• Flexitarians: 18% (reduced meat consumption,meat & dairy substitutes)

EU comparison• Germany among
the EU countries
with the highest
share of vegans& vegetarians

Growing number of vegans: +100% in 6years
20008: 80.000 vegans in Germany
2019: 1.3 million => over 16x higher

Number of vegetarians & vegans in Germany 2015 – 2022
(dark green: vegans, light green: vegetarians)

German vegans tend to…

be female (70% of all vegans)be under 30• Share ofvegans &vegetarians indifferent age
groups: 6% ofpeople aged
14 to 29 areveganbe highly educated• Approx 7.5% of all university students are vegan(+25% vegetarian)live in big cities• Highest density (darkred) of vegans inGermany

Not only vegans eatvegan products:
Flexitarians in Germany

High number of people who are notvegans, but eat vegan products andmeat/dairy substitutes• Nearly 50% of all Germans drink plant-based
milk (e.g. oat milk, almond milk, soy milk)• Around one third of all Germans do not drink
cow’s milk

Reasons for veganlifestyles in GermanyReasons for vegan diets

Animal welfare

environment

healthImpacted by partner

Main reasons for vegan diets:climate & health• #1 reason for young
people going vegan:environment (80% of 15–29-year-olds)• #1 reason for older
people going vegan:health (64% of 60-75year-olds)

Vegan lifestyle inJapan

Fewvegans

Vegans in Japan, China & US

But: growing interest in veganfood in Japan• Demand from overseas visitors (around 5% ofthem are vegetarian/vegan, and several millions areMuslims)• Demand from health-conscious Japanese middleaged womenNew vegan options inrestaurants & shops

Plant-based products more
readily available

Reasons for going veganin Germany & Japan:
environment

Meat and greenhouse gasemissions

Carbon footprint of different food types:
highest for beefEnv. Impact: milk vs. plant-based milk

Deforestation (e.g. Amazon rainforest)
due to commercial (cattle) farmingWhy are there manyvegans in Germany?

1.) High meat & dairy consumption inGermany• High meat
consumption ->health problems,
environmental
destruction, highemissions

2.) Higher environm. consciousness inGermany• Historically high interest inenvironmental protection(1968 movement,recycling, renewableenergies, climate change)3.) Wide availability of meat-freealternatives & meat substitutes• Germany: most newly launchedmeat substitutes globally• E.g. Rügenwalder: big meat & sausage company
became leading meat-substitute provider, nonmeat business bigger than meat business now for
RügenwalderGrowing market for meat substitutes• +35% in 2 years• Germany as
country withlargest numberof new vegan
substituteproducts• Nearly 100,000
tons of meat
substituteproducts in2021

Vegan sausages & meat products

Vegan charcuterie4. Higher prevalence of obesityand cardiovascular diseases
Older people charcuterie stopeating meat for a longer,
healthier life

Hazard ratio (risk of diseases) increases with consumption of red meatWhy are there relatively few vegans
in Japan?

1. Fear of sticking out• Conformity in Japan& school meal:
everyone should(must?) eat
everything; fear of‘sticking out’ orcausing problems toothers (e.g.atnomikai)

2. Low media attention• Relatively
low numberof vegan rolemodels &vegan ideas
in the media
and daily life(albeitgrowing)3. Lowunderstanding ofveganism• Low understanding ofvegetarian & vegan diets
due to low presence inthe media etc. Few
veganproducts/restaurants ->fewer impulses, higher
inhibition

4. Traditional Japanese diet healthy• Japanese‘standard’ dietrelatively healthy-> fewer people togo vegan for
health reasons

5. Many vegan-like foods & high useof dashi• Many ‘close-to-vegan’ food items: many people eat
lots plant-based products but are not vegan• Hard to be completely vegan due to highprevalence of dashi in most vegetable meals etc.

6. Low awareness of meat’s impact
on climate• Low awareness that meat consumption impacts
climate change

Summary /Conclusion• Why are there a lot of Vegans inGermany, despite the highprevalence of meat & dairy inthe traditional diet? It is not
DESPITE, BUT BECAUSE OF thecentral role meat plays inGerman cuisine• high meat consumption = negative
impact on climate, health, animalrights etc.
• Germany: Long history of (andinterest in) environmental
movements, climate action &animal rights

Thanks for yourattention
I am happy to answer any questions
regarding my research (methods, content,results etc.)