TUI launches vegan cruises – experts doubt the “eco” initiative

Endori will be serving vegan alternatives on board TUI’s “Mein Schiff” fleet. This is unlikely to solve the biggest problem with cruise ships.

Syke – Cruise, but sustainable. This is how food producer Endori announces its new cooperation with tour operator TUI. Vegan food is “heading for the on-board kitchen”. From now on, there are two plant-based dishes available in the “Day and Night Bistros” of the “Mein Schiff” fleet. The vegan “BratVurst” and the vegan “Peaters Burger”.

Vegan cruise: TUI and Endori will offer meat-free food on board

According to Endori, “delicious meat-free alternatives that not only taste good, but also promote sustainability on board.” Cast off for a sustainable cruise experience?

Vegan cuisine is unlikely to be ecological footprint of the ocean giants However, it cannot save the world. The German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) describes cruises as “unacceptable for the climate, environment and health”. Dirty exhaust fumes such as fine dust, soot, nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides endanger the air, the climate and, not least, the health of the guests on board. According to NABU calculations, a cruise ship emits as much CO₂ per day as 84,000 cars, as much fine dust as over a million and as much sulphur dioxide as around 376 million.

Devastating footprint: TUI tries to make cruises more sustainable

These are figures that TUI cannot avoid, even with the most sustainable catering. At least: TUI is running a number of sustainability projects. These include a program to reduce plastic waste, the use of shore power on port days and sustainable textiles on board. At some point, the Cruise ships also run on green methanol.

“The partnership with Endori fits seamlessly into our efforts to offer innovative and climate-friendly solutions in the gastronomy sector,” says TUI’s Senior Product Manager for Food and Beverages, Andreas Hegel, in a Press release from EndoriIn addition, vegan products are trendy and are likely to be well received by many guests as an alternative.

“Diet plays a minor role in the guests’ carbon footprint.”

But how much does the vegan initiative really achieve? “It is fundamentally welcome that more vegan products are being offered on cruise ships. It would be better if TUI completely refrained from using animal products in the future,” says Jens Hilgenberg, Head of Transport Policy at the German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND), to IPPEN.MEDIA.

Hilgenberg emphasizes: “Diet plays a minor role in the guests’ carbon footprin
t. A study by T&E from last year shows that in 2022, cruise ships in European waters alone released more sulfur oxides into the air than a billion cars.”

Eco-saviour in the cruise kitchen? “More sustainable nutrition relies primarily on unprocessed products”

In addition, the consumer advice center Bremen not quite sure whether vegan substitute products are really the ultimate solution for sustainable cooking, some can even be unhealthy. “A more sustainable, plant-based diet relies primarily on unprocessed or minimally processed products such as vegetables or fruit or, of course, pulses, which can of course also be processed into patties etc.,” says a spokeswoman at IPPEN.MEDIA. “The BratSausage and Burger products on offer are highly processed products.”

Endori says that its cultivation is very friendly. All peas come from its own contract farm in Germany. In the future, they will be shipped from there to all corners of the world on the TUI cruise ship. (hk/moe)