SecondVisiting Leuchtendroter is not suitable for spontaneous travelers, as restaurants in the east of Frankfurt are often full. The menu includes dishes such as “Auberspießer” with grilled eggplant, miso, raisins, fennel and cinnamon or “Yellow Submarine” with zucchini, mustard, cabbage and chanterelles-all without meat or other animal products.
Operation manager Lukas Dickmann reports: “We have a lot of regular customers who actually eat meat and say they come to us for something to eat.” “This is a good confirmation for us.” Because the kitchen is not vegetarian. Because they want to show what is right and what is wrong, said chef Niclas Horn. “We just believe that you can eat delicious vegan food.” The focus is on taste.
Meatless diet is the trend. This has always been the reason for the food industry. In 2020, the meat substitute products produced by German companies increased by approximately 39% over the previous year. And the demand continues to grow. A Forsa survey showed that the cause of this situation is no longer just ecological and ethical. Almost half of the respondents who bought such products at least once ended up in the shopping cart because they thought the products were healthy. But is this also true?
“Some products contain surprising amounts of additives”
Anneke von Reeken of the Lower Saxony Consumer Protection Center says that in general, it cannot be said that alternative products are healthier than meat. Last year, consumer advocates in Lower Saxony scrutinized a total of 31 alternatives to vegetarian sausages, burger patties and schnitzels. It is particularly worth noting that many products contain various additives.
Thickeners and stabilizers are used to make sausage or hamburger patties from vegetable bases such as peas or soybeans. If the product should also look attractive, dyes are usually added. In order to turn the old plant fiber into a delicious meat clone, you often need to dig into the fragrance box.
“Some products contain surprising amounts of additives. Sometimes, there are nine, ten or more additives on the ingredient list,” von Reeken reports. Among them, consumer rights activists discovered suspicious substances that should not be consumed frequently.
However, the good news is that these substances are only found in a few products. Among the tested products, there are also products with almost no additives. However, it is often difficult for consumers to see what the product really contains, von Reeken complained. “Basically, the longer the ingredient list, the more important you should be.”
Usually contains a lot of salt, fat and sugar
In past investigations, Stiftung Warentest and Ökotest have repeatedly found that products contain contaminants such as mineral oil hydrocarbons. Testers also complained that many products are too salty. Because long-term intake of high salt will increase the risk of hypertension and secondary diseases. Most ground meat substitutes tested by Ökotest have a salt content of more than 1.1 g/100 g.this Development Department (German Nutrition Society) recommends a maximum of 6 grams per day. DGE’s Silke Restemeyer said that because many meat substitute products contain a lot of fat and sugar in addition to salt, these products are not necessarily classified as beneficial from a nutritional point of view.
