Decade-long shift toward vegan meal options as part of dietary transition in German university canteens

Abstract

Abstract Shifting diets toward plant-based foods supports climate and health goals, yet whether expanding vegan options replaces animal-based (meat, fish) or vegetarian meals remains unclear. Here we show menu and price trends using 3.7 million meal options from 340 German university canteens between 2015 and 2024. Plant-based options (vegetarian, vegan) rose from 63.7% to 70.5% (6.9 observed percentage points; 2.2 predicted percentage points per year). Vegan options increased by 23.1 points overall and 3.7 per year, while vegetarian options declined by 16.3 and 2.1, and meat-based options by 6.0 and 1.7, respectively. Vegan growth coincided more strongly with declining vegetarian than meat-based options, suggesting intra-plant-based replacement rather than direct substitution of animal-based options. Animal-based meals remained more expensive, while prices rose in parallel, suggesting economic factors alone cannot explain the shift. Emission calculations indicate annual reductions of 8000-40,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalents per canteen, driven by declines in meat-based and vegetarian options. These findings document a decade-long menu reconfiguration toward vegan options with sustainability implications.