Switzerland’s largest supermarket Migros has launched V-Love—its own vegan-friendly barbecue food range—just in time for summer.
V-Love is an expansion of the Swiss retailer’s current plant-based selections. Migros currently offers nearly 700 certified meat-free products, 500 of which are vegan.
The supermarket launched three vegan products under the new range. These include a pea protein-based burger and two sausages: a bratwurst and a grillwurst.
According to Migros, all V-Love products are V-label certified. Most of them are vegan, while some are vegetarian.
The V-Label is an internationally recognized symbol for labeling vegan and vegetarian products. As of November 2019, there are now 30,000 V-Label certified products.
Renato Pichler CEO of V-Label GmbH told Vegconomist that for more than two decades, V-Label has helped consumers choose plant-based products. He explained the label provides transparency and is “the link between innovative products and conscious consumers.”
“The V-Label has made a significant contribution to the rapid distribution of vegan and vegetarian products in the European market. We are now taking this success to other continents,” he said.
Switzerland Goes Plant-Based
According to the company, the new brand “[fulfills] its customers’ desire for more vegetarian and vegan products.”
In the last 30 years, the consumption of meat has dropped in Switzerland.
A 2019 survey conducted by Swissveg, a vegan and vegetarian resource, found 2.6 million Swiss people have reduced or eliminated their meat consumption. This figure represents 31 percent of the entire population.
According to the study, 14 percent of the population follows a meat-free diet. Three percent are vegan and 11 percent are vegetarian. This means the country has more than 250,000 vegans.
Younger people are more likely to eat plant-based. Six percent of Swiss people between the ages of 15 and 34 indicated they abstain from eating animal products. Flexitarianism is also popular in the country. Seventeen percent of those surveyed identified as flexitarians.
In order to meet the growing demand for plant-based foods, Migros indicated it has plans to expand the V-Love range. In addition to meat-free products, it will add plant-based milk, yogurt, cheese, and eggs to the line. It also plans to include vegan and vegetarian snacks, ready-to-eat meals, and frozen products.
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