Plant-based vs. vegan: What's the difference?

"Germany among the top 5 worldwide": What no longer seems to apply to the German men's national soccer team now applies to vegan nutrition - at least this is what evaluations of Google search queries by the online portal Chef's Pencil^[1] suggest. According to the Allensbach Market and Advertising Media Analysis, the number of vegans in Germany was 1.52 million^[2] in 2023 and thus almost twice as high as just ten years ago. The same study comes to the conclusion that currently about 8.12 million Germans eat vegetarian.

The reasons for the growing popularity of these various forms of plant-based nutrition are diverse and range from animal welfare and health aspects to environmental and climate protection. At the same time, the vegan lifestyle in particular is met with great resentment from parts of the population. Which brings us to the question: Does the concept of a predominantly plant-based diet perhaps have the potential to break through this resistance and make a form of nutrition our new standard that brings many benefits to our society? 

The ecological dimension: focus on sustainable nutrition

One motive that neither Thomas Colin Campbell nor Donald Watson might have had in mind is climate protection. Today, it is likely to have even more impact. After all, the agricultural and food system in Germany, for example, is responsible for around a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions.[^3] Worldwide, up to 80 percent of the decline in biodiversity is attributable to the global agricultural and food system. A study published in the journal Nature Food shows that a shift to plant-based diets in the European Union and the United Kingdom would not only dramatically reduce environmental impacts, but could also improve food resilience in the face of crises.^[4] Reducing meat consumption and shifting to a plant-based diet could therefore be a win-win situation for one's life, the environment and food security.

It is no surprise that against this backdrop, the German government is working on a national nutrition strategy that supports a shift toward plant-based foods to both improve public health and reduce climate impacts. The associated key issues paper states, "Our diet represents an important aspect of the transformation to a resource- and climate-friendly as well as sustainable economy. The transformation of the entire food system toward a plant-based diet is the most important adjusting screw in the food sector for achieving our national and international climate, biodiversity and sustainability goals."^[5] The keyword resilience also appears in the paper - albeit only in a subordinate clause.

The environmental benefits of a plant-based diet are therefore clear and are further underlined by policies and scientific evidence. Reducing the consumption of animal products and promoting plant-based alternatives appears to be a promising way to address both the health and environmental challenges facing the global community today.

Plant-based diet benefits: Great opportunity in schools and the workplace

Introducing plant-based meal options in schools and workplaces offers numerous benefits and opportunities for both the institutions and the people who learn and work there. In schools, for example, plant-based options are often cheaper and quicker for the school to source and cook, which means there is increased capacity to prepare higher quality and more exciting meals for students. In addition, such offerings support sustainability and reduce the school's carbon footprint. Furthermore, they open up a new world of different vegetables and meals to students.

The non-profit Institute for Futures Studies and Technology Assessment (IZT) and the NGO ProVeg International estimate that children who receive a plant-based lunch at school once a week for a year could reduce their combined carbon footprint by more than 1,000 metric tons of CO2.^[8] This would already be a significant contribution to reducing environmental impact and promoting sustainable eating habits among children. Plant-based eating options can also offer significant benefits in the workplace. After all, in Germany, for example, one in five working people uses the company cafeteria. More than 1.5 billion main meals are prepared each year in Germany's roughly 14,000 company cafeterias.

Overall, plant-based food options in schools and workplaces offer great leverage to promote health and sustainability and play an important role in creating an environmentally conscious and health-promoting environment - especially when whole foods rather than highly processed organic foods are used.

Health benefits of a plant based diet

A plant-based diet of organic origin that is low in processed foods is considered particularly valuable for a sustainable nutrition profile because it addresses health concerns as well as environmental ones. Such a mainly plant-based diet, which is also low in salt, saturated fats and added sugars, is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as part of a healthy lifestyle. Such diets are generally associated with a lower risk of premature mortality and offer protection against cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes mellitus.^[9] Nevertheless, there is a growing trend toward plant-based meat alternatives, many of which are classified as highly processed foods (ultra-processed foods). Yet initial studies are already showing that people who frequently consume ultra-processed foods not only have an increased risk of colorectal cancer, but also of death.^[10]

A big step in the right direction: For a sustainable plant-based diet

The various manifestations of plant-based diets have become a significant trend that appeals to more and more people worldwide. This trend is a response to a variety of factors, including health considerations, environmental and climate protection, as well as a growing awareness of the ethical implications of food choices.

Compared to veganism, which takes a stricter ethical stance and avoids all animal products, the "plant-based" diet offers a more flexible approach that allows people to explore the benefits of a plant-based diet without completely disengaging from animal products. In addition, an awareness of the different psychological impact of the terms "plant-based" and "vegan" is important, as they can influence people's acceptance and commitment to their dietary choices.

Firmly establishing and continuously expanding plant-based meal options in schools and workplaces, as well as emphasizing the benefits of organic agriculture and organic quality in food choices are important steps to further promote the benefits of these diets and achieve wider acceptance in society. It is therefore essential that consumers, producers, and policymakers recognize and promote this in order to take full advantage of the positive impacts of plant-based diets.

Source:

^{[1] Source: https://www.chefspencil.com/most-popular-countries-and-cities-for-vegans-in-2020-jan-2021-update/}

^{[2] Source: https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/445155/umfrage/umfrage-in-deutschland-zur-anzahl-der-veganer/}

^{[3] Source: Scientific Advisory Council on Agricultural Policy, Nutrition and Consumer Health Protection and Scientific Advisory Council on Forest Policy at the BMEL (2016): Climate protection in agriculture, forestry, and the downstream sectors of food and wood use. Expert opinion. Berlin}

^{[4] Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-022-00634-4}

^{[5] Source: https://www.bmel.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/_Ernaehrung/ernaehrungsstrategie-eckpunktepapier.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=4}

^{[6] Source: https://nutrifusion.com/study-consumers-favor-term-plant-based-over-vegan/#:~:text=With%20this%20confusion%2C%20many%20consumers,the%20term%20“vegan”%20is}

^{[7] Source: https://gfi.org/images/uploads/2019/10/GFI-Mindlab-Report-Implicit-Study_Strategic_Recommendations.pdf?pi_content=220b5b845669b5ce45731e314743df0395eb5749c1cd9b79d10bcc8a2d4522ee}

^{[8] Source: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2019/02/germany-sustainable-diets/#:~:text=The%20organizations%20estimate%20that%20by,By%20reducing}

^{[9] Source:https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/349086/WHO-EURO-2021-4007-43766-61591-eng.pdf?sequence=1#:~:text=Overall%2C%20a%20diet%20that%20is,NCDs}

^{[10] Source: https://www.aerzteblatt.de/nachrichten/137094/Studien-Ultra-hochverarbeitete-Lebensmittel-koennten-Risiko-auf-Darmkrebs-und-Tod-erhoehen}