Meat substitute products are in demand like never before. Now a sausage manufacturer from the Black Forest is also trying out vegan products.
Munich – In Germany less and less meat is eaten. While it was around 70 kilos per capita in 2014, the figure will be 53 kilos in 2023, according to data from Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft mbH (AMI). Above all, the consumption of pork is declining. Numerous food manufacturers are reacting to this development: Because even if fewer animal products are eaten, the demand for meat substitutes is increasing rapidly. The traditional company Schwarzwaldhof has also recognized this. She now produces vegan Lyoner.
The increase in demand for meat alternatives has “moved us to prepare for the future,” explained division manager Andreas Göhring southern courier. The question then was on what basis the new products should be created. Wheat and soy should have been labeled with trace information, which is one of the reasons why pea protein was chosen. The texture is also the most similar to meat.
Schwarzwaldhof develops vegan products: “Colour, consistency and taste have to match”
The next step for the company was development: “First we produced the smallest batches in the laboratory,” says Sebastian Ruhlich from the company’s sales department. The company then contacted spice dealers who offer a basic recipe for the corresponding products: “The colour, consistency and taste have to match,” explains Jürgen Schneider. So that vegan bacon smells like bacon, and vegan meat substitute tastes like meat.
First, the company from Baden-Württemberg tried a Landjäger: “We are known for Black Forest specialties, so we wanted to get into these products as well,” explained Schneider. However, producing a vegan Landjäger is one of the most difficult tasks: “Drying changes the pea protein and becomes a very crumbly mass.” Finally, the company also set about developing a vegan bacon and a vegan sausage salad. The coloring for the bacon comes from carrots. Finally, in March 2023, the first batches of vegan lyoners will be produced. Schneider also talks about the reaction in his own company: “The butchers in particular were very critical at first. Acceptance came over time.”
Vegan sausage salad “sold out first” – and also popular in Europa Park
The vegan sausage salad is now available from Edeka Südwest. Göhring tells of the positive response at an event: “It was sold out first at the horse festival at the Immenhöfe,” says Göhring. There were also “many curious people who wanted to try it” during a test in Europa Park. The bacon will finally hit the market in the fourth quarter of 2023.
The company does not want to re-educate anyone, just react to changing conditions. There are also health benefits: The new products have “low fat and a source with a high protein content via the peas.” Test products are sold in three Edeka markets in Freiburg, and there is “very good feedback”. The marketing team has also come up with something: instead of the red Bollen hats that traditionally appear in the company’s logo, there are green ones. The Bollenhuts are part of the traditional costume in the Black Forest.
Among the veggie schnitzels, the winner of a recent test came from a discounter. However, vegetarians and vegans should be careful with wine gums – because the products do not always say what exactly is in them. (cgsc)
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