With climate considerations in mind, the Swiss are rethinking their shopping and eating habits, as plant-based protein becomes more mainstream. However, it is fair to say that Switzerland remains a nation of meat eaters.
Luc has prepared a fruit skewer for his mid-morning snack, along with some vegetable dips followed by pasta salad with cherry tomatoes and Halloumi for the main course and a layered glass of quark, yoghurt, berries, and crumble for dessert. The nine-year-old is attending a cookery course. Accompanying the boy is his father, who confesses he would have made something different. “But he enjoys it, that’s the main thing.” Luc’s primary school in Berne arranged the tuition. The idea is that children who dabble in cooking eat a more diverse, balanced diet and are more receptive to new foods.
Studying the production process at Kempthal-based Planted Foods AG also feels like a classroom lesson, albeit the subject matter is related more to physics and chemistry. You start with a flour mixture. This can be made from peas, sunflower seeds, or oats. This is fed into a big machine, where it is mixed with water and rapeseed oil, then kneaded, heated, and pressed. You end up with a dough that can be cut in different ways depending on whether you want it to resemble chicken breast, chicken strips, or kebab. Clad in white smocks and sanitary hats, employees at the laboratory-like company factory in the Zurich Oberland are producing plant-based imitation meat. The Planted Foods mantra is clear: “Every chicken counts.” No animals are killed in the making of these products. The firm says that over a million chickens (and counting) have been saved from slaughter thanks to the consumption of its products. According to Planted Foods, global warming is another issue. Traditional animal meat production is one of the largest instigators of the climate crisis, it writes.
Plant-based means more vegetables and cereals – and less meat. But why make imitation meat in the first place? Why invest so much technology into pulling globular plant-based proteins together to look like sinuous muscle fibres? Why ferment these proteins with microbes such as fungi and bacteria? And why go through the complex process of producing bigger, juicier, more complex and more tender cuts and adding micronutrients like vitamin B12? Planted Foods has an oven-ready answer for these and other FAQs: “We humans are creatures of habit, as we all know. To have an impact on the planet, our eating habits need to change. The best way to do this is with a meat-like product that can be integrated into our eating habits.”
The world’s population will be just under ten billion by 2050. If so many are to be fed without endangering the planet, food production as well as eating habits must radically change. This means less meat, sugar, and fewer eggs – and more vegetables, nuts, and legumes. In addition to the public sector, numerous NGOs in Switzerland are working to achieve this goal. One of them is the "Fourchette verte – ama terra" quality and health label for canteens, which applies to 17 cantons and aims to reduce meat and fish consumption, promote environmentally and animal-friendly food production, and minimise food waste. Tools such as Eaternity, which calculates the carbon footprint of canteen menu options, or Beelong, which scores foods on a scale from A to G, also help to improve sustainability for food caterers in care homes, hospitals, preschools, and companies.
Good examples of ways for municipalities and cantons to promote sustainable nutrition (document available in French, German and Italian): revue.link/menu
(DLA)
Meat analogues, i.e. plant-based products that mimic meat, seem to satisfy a consumer need. As far back as 1997, Migros began selling products made from Quorn, which is derived from a fermented, edible fungus. Its Cornatur brand was pioneering at the time. Meat substitutes have become increasingly popular of late, and we are seeing greater innovation, says Migros spokeswoman Carmen Hefti. Migros now has over 1,000 different vegan items in its range, of which meat and milk substitutes are the most popular, according to Hefti. Erstwhile niche products such as these have entered the mainstream. Coop has had a wide range of meat substitutes on its shelves – including own-brand Délicorn – since 2006.
With climate considerations in mind, the Swiss are rethinking their shopping and eating habits, as plant-based protein becomes more mainstream. However, it is fair to say that Switzerland remains a nation of meat eaters.
Bratwurst and schnitzel were among its first plant-based products. The supermarket currently offers over 2,000 vegetarian products, of which more than 1,800 are vegan, says Coop spokesman Caspar Frey. The retailer stocks over 100 vegan meat and fish alternatives, more than 50 milk alternatives, 40 vegan yoghurts, 20 vegan butters, and some 20 vegan cheese alternatives. Vegan milk alternatives are also finding favour among Migros customers, who have been able to buy soya drinks since 2010 and now have oat, rice, almond, soya, quinoa, chickpea, coconut and hazelnut beverages to choose from. In recent years, Migros has seen double-digit growth in non-dairy alternatives, says Hefti, without specifying precise sales figures. Coop also prefers to communicate in percentages. It says that vegan milk alternatives have gained market share over the last four years and now account for 18 per cent of total milk sales. Frey: “At present, more than one in seven milk products at Coop are vegan.”
Are animal-based foods becoming less attractive to Swiss consumers? Are we all eating fruit and veg, and more specifically plant-based proteins, instead? Yes and no. According to the Plant-based Food Report published by Coop in January this year, 63 per cent of the Swiss population consciously choose to have a day without eating animal-based foods more than once a month. This is over 20 per cent more than ten years ago. Meanwhile, the first-ever Swiss Meat Substitutes Report by the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG), covering the Swiss retail sector from 2016 to 2020, says that sales of meat substitutes have risen sharply: from 60 million Swiss francs in 2016 to 117 million in 2020. They have almost doubled in four years, increasing by an average of 18.4 per cent each year. The biggest growth is in meat analogues, says the report.
A shift in attitudes is cited as the factor driving the change in consumer habits, with people in the industrialised West viewing food and drink as less of a means to an end and more as a lifestyle choice to promote health and enjoyment, and preserve natural resources. “Many people are becoming more aware of the impact of our consumer and eating habits on the environment, climate, and animal welfare,” it said in the 2019 Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute European Food Trends Report, for which 39 experts from Europe, North America, and Asia were interviewed. According to the Coop study, environmental concerns are now put forward as the main argument for eating less meat in Switzerland. This applies to all diets, from flexitarian to vegan. And the younger you are, the more likely this is to be the case.
Despite remarkable growth, meat substitutes are still very much a niche area. According to the latest figures from the Swiss meat industry association Proviande, they accounted for a market share of no more than 3.4 per cent in 2021. In point of fact, there has been no decrease in Swiss meat consumption. Since the mid-1990s, the average Swiss resident has carried on consuming around 50 kg of meat per year. They ate 50.91 kg in 2020 and 51.82 kg in 2021. Overall, beef consumption is down and chicken consumption up. Retailer Coop also says that the demand for meat remains high – even in January, or “Veganuary”.
Will food production soon be on the political agenda? Two popular initiatives are calling for more home-grown food produce in Switzerland, but advocate two diametrically opposing agricultural policy approaches. One wants Swiss farmers to produce less feed for animals and grow more plant-based foods for people. The other initiative wants to reduce biodiversity areas to ramp up intensive food and fodder production.
(DLA)
According to Coop spokesman Frey, meat substitutes appeal to vegetarians, vegans, flexitarians, those who also like to eat plant-based alternatives, and those who are interested in food trends or in a varied diet. There is no one-to-one inverse correlation between sales of meat and of meat substitutes. Such products mainly attract people who do not eat meat, says Proviande spokeswoman Gioia Porlezza. On the other hand, meat substitutes and meat are not mutually exclusive. “You can easily consume both to diversify your protein.”
In any case, there are considerable synergies between “natural” foods and sustainable high-tech foods. Experts concede that science is playing an increasing role in food production.
The federal government formulates strategies and legislation to promote sustainable nutrition. More and more cities and municipalities have taken the lead and put sustainable food on the menu at schools, care homes, and public institutions (see box). Even cooking lessons at primary schools have changed; the beloved home economics textbook “Tiptopf” has been completely revised. Half of the recipes in the March 2023 edition are new. They include lentil bolognese and tofu stew. “The book contains more vegetarian and vegan recipes than earlier editions,” says Anita Stettler, marketing project manager at Schulverlag plus AG. “In partnership with the vegetarian restaurant Hiltl, we also created a supplementary cookbook called Greentopf in 2019, focusing purely on vegetarian and vegan cuisine.”
Has a culinary revolution begun? We are at least seeing a discernible trend, according to Andrew Gordon, CEO of Eldora AG – a business that manages and supplies canteens in companies as well as at schools, preschools, hospitals, and care homes. Eldora now offers a daily vegetarian option on its menus, says Gordon. This option accounts for about ten per cent of canteen meals eaten in French-speaking Switzerland, where Eldora has its roots. Demand is slightly higher in German-speaking Switzerland. It is primarily the public sector pushing for meat-free options. A vegetarian meal must be served at least once a week at schools and preschools. There is also a growing clamour for regional produce – although guests are reluctant to pay more for the privilege, unfortunately, says Gordon. “This squeezes our margins.” Humans are contradictory creatures, he sighs. As the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute says in its study, “We Swiss want the best of both worlds: global and local.”
Coop “Plant-based Food Report” (in German): revue.link/plantbased
Swiss Meat Substitutes Report from the FOAG: revue.link/substitutes
European Food Trends Report from the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute: revue.link/foodtrends
Proviande meat market figures (only in French and German): revue.link/fleisch
Nuggets, Délicorn, Coop
Quorn vegan nuggets
Planted Güggeli, Planted Foods
Chicken alternative made from pea protein
Wood Smoked Rüebli Lax, Mr Vegan
Salmon alternative made from carrots
vEGGie, Garden Gourmet, Nestlé
Vegan egg substitute made from soya protein
Mandel Vegurt Mokka, Migros
Vegan almond-mocha butter yoghurt
MozzaVella Bio, Züger
Vegan mozzarella made from almonds and oats
Petit Biscuit Choco V-Love, Migros
Vegan chocolate biscuits
(DLA)
Comments
Comments :
Wir sind sehr interessierte Leser der Revue, auch wenn uns diese erst sehr verspätet erreicht. Bitte erlauben sie mir jedoch eine kleine Korrektur:
Es handelt auf dem Foto (der Grossmetzgerei Angst in Zürich) ohne Zweifel nicht um Kalbfleisch, sondern um den linken Stotzen eines ausgewachsenen Rindes, Kuh oder Stier. Kalbfleisch ist rosafarben und ein Kalbsstotzen ist sehr viel kleiner. Mein Beruf war zeitlebens Metzger sowie diplomierter Koch und Küchenchef CH.
C’est vrai que suissesse côté maternel, les Röstis m’ont accompagnée toute ma vie durant à l’étranger… les « rondes » (robe des champs) et ses fromages - depuis l’enfance - reste un de mes plats préférés, transformable en toute sortes de délicatesses. Merci pour ce clin d’œil
Diese ganze Veganer-Quatsch, ist einfach nicht zu Ende gedacht! Arten- und Rassensterben wäre das Resultat, belegt ja schon Pro Species Rara! Und keiner will die guten Rezepte der Schweizer Spezialitäten, jetzt in vegan, nur weil ein paar Abgedrehte meinen, das Rad neu erfinden zu müssen! Auch hier in Ungarn ist der Zigeunerbraten oder das Zigeunerschnitzel geblieben und das ist gut so! Diese neue Gewoke, Gegendere und diese jahrzehntelange verlogene Klimahysterie brauche ich nicht auch noch in Form der Schweizer Revue, die mich in meiner neuen geliebten bodenständigen Heimat verfolgt! Das einzige Land, das in der heutigen Zeit noch normal geblieben ist! Wenn ich noch so ein Artikel lesen muss, beende ich diese Abo schneller, als ich es mir aufschwatzen habe lassen, wichtige Infos hin oder her!
Es ist sehr einfach, man muss nur ein bisschen mehr hinterfragen. Dann weiss man, wie das neue Geschäft funktioniert. Erzeuge ein Schuldbewusstsein und verkaufe die Lösung. Haben sich die Menschen schon mal gefragt, wie die „Lebensmittel“ hergestellt werden? Welche „Zutaten“ in zB veganem Käse sind? In veganer Milch? Wasser, Aromen, Verdicker, Farbe, Fett, Proteine, Palmöl, Emulgatoren, Hefe, Reismehl, Antioxidantien, Backtriebmittel, Zucker usw Kunstfleisch und Grillenmehl, lecker. Na dann, Wohl bekomms. Alles für was Werbung gemacht wird, ist nicht wegen eurer Gesundheit gemacht. Sondern weil es ein Geschäft ist. Als Kind bin ich ja aus heutiger Sicht „vegetarisch“ aufgewachsen. Gemüse, Kartoffeln, Teigwaren und Salat. 1x die Woche Fleisch. Weil kein Geld für etwas anderes da war. Hey und ich bin auch gross geworden! Wir hatten kein Plastik und keine billigen Kleider und kein Fernseher. Sprecht doch mal mit euren Grosseltern!
Zur Klimarettungs-Märchenwelt der europäischen Veganer: Der Fleischersatz Soja wird aus Brasilien importiert. Dort wird, ob Lula oder Bolsanaro, dafür Wald durch Brand gerodet. Der Dünger kommt aus dem verhassten Russland. Tolle Klimarettung.
Dieu a créé TOUTE LA NATURE pour que nous en jouissions. Epargner les poules de l'abattoir m'a bien fait rire... A-t-on créé des maisons de retraite pour les animaux d'élevages? C'est d'un ridicule! Les substituts végétaux à la viande sont souvent délicieux, je ne suis pas contre, mais de grâce, arrêtez d'accuser la viande de tous les maux (ou presque)! À chacun son choix de nourriture...
Dank immer für die News, die sehr willkommen sind und intressant sind für mich. GREAT STUFF!!
Ich denke wertvoller ist, sich auf nachhaltige, naturbelassene Produkte zu konzentrieren. Nahrungsmittel, die sich ergänzen. Industrie- und Labor (!) Ernährung sind Kern der Gesundheitsprobleme westlicher Industrienationen (Diabetes, Bluthochdruck, Krebs usw.).
Schön und gut die Absicht der Umstellung. Aber so lange wie das Haupmenu nicht die Antibaby-Pille mitserviert doch nur ein Unterfangen im Bereiche der Illusion.
Das ist nicht nötig. Die Spermien der Männer werden immer inaktiver.
Ganz im Sinne von Wilhelm Busch, der das so kommentierte: "...Junggesellen pflanzen sich durch Knollen fort".