Germany's Production of Meat Alternatives Has More Than Doubled in Five Years

Germany now makes more than twice as much vegetarian and vegan meat as it did five years ago, according to new figures from the country's Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).

German producers made 126,500 tonnes of meat alternatives in 2024, up 4.0% on the 121,600 tonnes of 2023. Back in 2019 the figure was just 60,400 tonnes, which means output has risen by 109.5% in five years. That works out at around 1.5kg for every person in the country.

The money is growing even faster. The products were worth €647.1 million in 2024, up 10.9% in a single year from €583.2 million.

Meanwhile the value of meat and meat products made in Germany fell 1.1% to just over €44.3 billion. Meat is still far bigger, but the gap is closing quickly. In its statement, Destatis said (our translation):

Whether veggie burger, tofu sausage or seitan mortadella: purely arithmetically, around 1.5 kilograms of meat substitute products per head were produced in Germany in 2024. Measured by value, meat production in 2024 was just under 70 times larger than that of meat substitutes. Five years earlier, meat and meat products worth a good 40.1 billion euros were produced in Germany. That was roughly 150 times the value of meat substitutes.

Destatis counts vegetarian spreads and tofu products in that category too, not just burgers and sausages. Independent trade press reported the same figures within the hour.

In other words, the meat industry was 150 times the size of the meat-free one in 2019. Now it's 70 times. Halving that gap in five years is not bad going for a country famous for its bratwurst.

Every tonne of tofu sausage that replaces the real thing is good news for German hearts. The American College of Cardiology has recommended plant protein over animal protein for heart health, and Oxford researchers found that a global move to plant-based eating could save millions of lives and cut food emissions dramatically.

Germany keeps leading the way. Back in 2017 its environment ministry banned meat at official functions, and in 2020 Germany's biggest sausage maker started selling more veggie than meat. In 2023 Lidl Germany cut its vegan prices to match meat, and last year Destatis reported that production of meat alternatives was up 17%.

The future is looking brighter.