College cafeterias are making fundamental changes to their menus
The number of vegan cafeteria meals has nearly quadrupled over the past ten years
Researchers from the University of Konstanz and the Berlin University of Applied Sciences analyzed approximately 3.7 million meal options from 340 German university cafeterias. The results reveal a fundamental shift in the range of food offerings as part of the dietary environment. Between 2015 and 2024, the proportion of vegan main courses in particular rose significantly. Surprisingly, the expansion of vegan options was more closely linked to a decline in vegetarian offerings than in meat-based ones.
What people eat does not depend solely on personal preferences. Equally decisive is which foods are actually offered. University cafeterias are therefore far more than just places for communal dining: They are part of what is known as the “dietary environment,” which encompasses all areas that influence how we eat. This includes, among other things, how easily accessible certain food groups are, which options are offered most frequently, how prices are set, what advertising we see, and even in what situations and with whom we eat. As a component of this dietary environment, college cafeterias can, through their menu offerings, influence in the long term which dietary patterns become visible, available, and taken for granted in everyday life.
A Surprising Shift
A recent study by the University of Konstanz and the Berlin University of Applied Sciences now shows how the menu offerings in university cafeterias have changed between 2015 and 2024. To this end, the researchers examined approximately 3.7 million menu offerings from 340 university cafeterias over a ten-year period—the most comprehensive analysis of its kind in Germany to date.
The results show a significant shift: While 54.3 percent of the main courses offered in 2015 were plant-based—that is, vegetarian or vegan—this figure had risen to 65.1 percent by 2024. The vegan offerings saw particularly dynamic growth. The share of vegan main courses rose from 10.7 to 39.7 percent, nearly quadrupling.
The strong expansion of vegan main courses was not primarily at the expense of meat dishes. Rather, the proportion of vegetarian main courses decreased significantly, from 43.6 to 25.4 percent, while the proportion of meat-based main courses fell from 39.9 to 30.3 percent. Fish dishes remained rare throughout, accounting for about five percent.
“The strong growth in vegan offerings cannot be explained solely by price trends,” says Julia Koller, co-lead author of the study. She conducted the research during her time at the University of Konstanz and now works at the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Social Affairs, Labor, and Health. “Although plant-based main courses were cheaper than animal-based ones over the entire period, the relative price differences between the categories remained largely unchanged. On average, vegan and vegetarian main courses were equally priced.”
A Contribution to More Sustainable Food Environments
The researchers estimate that, depending on the size of a cafeteria and the underlying assumptions, the observed changes could contribute to savings of approximately 8,000 to 40,000 kilograms of CO₂ equivalents per year—per cafeteria. The decline in meat-based main courses accounts for the largest share of these savings. The shift from vegetarian to vegan dishes also contributes to the estimated savings, albeit to a lesser extent.
The calculations are based on emission values from the scientific literature and on modeled assumptions regarding how changes in the menu offerings translate into changes in the meals actually served. They should therefore be understood as illustrative estimates and not as direct measurements of the emissions saved.
The data reflect the menu offerings, not the actual purchasing or eating behavior of guests. It is therefore possible, for example, that a dish appeared less frequently on the menu but was still frequently chosen, or vice versa.
The general direction of the shift was evident in all federal states examined: everywhere, the vegan offerings increased, while meat-based main courses declined. University cafeterias are thus among the institutions across Germany that have made an early and significant shift toward more plant-based dining environments. They not only reflect societal changes but can also actively shape them through the options they offer.
Britta Renner, professor of psychological assessment and health psychology at the University of Konstanz and lead researcher of the study, emphasizes: “A sustainable dietary shift does not mean that everyone eats the same way. What’s crucial is that food environments offer more appealing plant-based options, thereby creating more choices for shared meals.”
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.
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