In this exclusive interview, German vegan influencers Juju and Fabi of Vegan Gesund Mit Grund share insights into the growing acceptance of plant-based diets in Germany and across the world
They discuss innovative vegan products and their excitement about new plant-based, sustainable and ethical options at SIAL Paris 2024.
How have you seen consumer attitudes towards plant-based diets evolve in recent years, especially in Germany?
We have seen that society is opening up more and more for the vegan world, for vegan products, and they are getting used to it. Six years ago when we became vegan, we had to explain what veganism is. And now in Germany everybody knows and most people eat vegan foods on a daily basis, like vegan meat on a barbecue or oat milk, soy milk etc. They are starting to implement them for their nutrition. We are really seeing this grow in numbers, especially in our community. It’s amazing what has happened in the last six years, it’s getting bigger and bigger and we love to see this.
It’s coming to the minds of people that veganism more than just a trend. It’s a lifestyle decision, it’s an ethical choice that people are making.
We are looking forward to bringing new products to our community, to telling them what’s coming up next because they’re always curious and most of us are foodies
What vegan innovations or products have caught your attention recently and how do you see them shaping the future of the food industry?
Cellular milk which is made in a lab without animal abuse but is still at the end of the day the same milk on a chemical level is huge. This means you can make all of the milk dairy products out of this cellular milk base. This is the most exciting thing, because you can, in the future, have all of the normal cheese, yogurt, etc. like we’ve known from our childhood. This is what it’s about. We are vegans for ethical reasons. That doesn’t mean that we don’t like the taste of cheese or meat. So it’s so amazing to see that the people who make this choice for ethical reasons can get this amazing taste back. It’s like a present. This is very exciting. It already exists. There are many, many companies out there who do this already.
How important is sustainability in the development of plant-based alternatives and vegan alternatives? And what role do you think this is playing in attracting new consumers?
It’s very important. The choice to become vegan is made because you’re aware, you’re conscious, and you’re thinking about your output and your input. So you are also thinking about sustainability, definitely for most vegans. If it’s not really sustainable, we wouldn’t buy it.
What are you excited about at SIAL Paris this year?
We are very excited. For us privately, but especially for our community. We are looking forward to bringing new products to our community, to telling them what’s coming up next because they’re always curious and most of us are foodies, we love food. It’s important because as a vegan you have to make smart decisions. If you want to cook vegan, you don’t have all the same opportunities others have. So we have to be creative and as the number of products we can use increases, the easier our lifestyle becomes.
We are also interested in eco-friendly packaging solutions, and discussing vegan issues with the industry, especially with the major players. For us it’s interesting to see what’s coming up next, what’s out now, and what is the plan for the next three years, ten years, etc. Even some companies who do not have vegan options right now, we hope to talk to them and convince them to think about solutions and inspire them with the vegan lifestyle, especially as veganism is growing and growing. So, also for us as activists, it’s interesting for us to speak to different companies.