ProVeg e. V.

About the organization

ProVeg International is a food organization committed to transforming the global food system. Its mission is to replace 50% of animal products worldwide with plant-based and cultivated foods by 2040. ProVeg works with all relevant stakeholders to transition to a food system where everyone chooses enjoyable and healthy food that is good for all people, animals and our planet.

ProVeg works closely with the most important UN organizations for food and the environment. In 2018, ProVeg received the "Momentum for Change" award from the United Nations for its projects "Aktion Pflanzen-Power" and "KEEKS" (climate and energy-efficient cooking in schools). This award recognizes examples of innovative and transformative projects that tackle climate change. This is the first time that the prize for these lighthouse projects has gone to Germany. The organization also has Permanent Observer status at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as well as consultative status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). ProVeg is also accredited to the UN World Assembly (UNEA).

With offices in 14 countries on 5 continents and more than 220 employees, ProVeg has a global impact.

The 5 reasons that motivate ProVeg to work for a more sustainable food system are also those of the Stiftung Zukunft jetzt! :

• Pro environment: a plant-based diet has numerous positive effects on the environment, including protecting the climate, rainforests and biodiversity.

• Pro justice: A fairer world can be created in which more people are fed and the food system is more efficient and fairer.

• Pro animals: enormous animal suffering (mainly due to factory farming and industrial fishing) is prevented.

• Pro health: A varied plant-based diet can help prevent and treat many diseases of civilization.

• Pro pleasure: A plant-based diet tastes delicious and brings colorful variety to your plate!

The Stiftung Zukunft jetzt! foundation supports various areas of ProVeg's work: the “Delicious food for all” campaign, corporate engagement work, the ProVeg Incubator and measures in the area of agricultural transition and alternative proteins. Through this diverse support, the financial resources of the Stiftung Zukunft jetzt! make a significant contribution to sustainably transforming the food system and promoting plant-based nutrition on a large scale.

Future topics such as cellular agriculture also play a central role in this. The production of cell-cultivated products, such as meat, fish or fat, has the potential to make a decisive contribution to solving the problems that ProVeg is committed to. In order to advance cellular agriculture, the ProVeg Incubator supports start-ups in this field and invests in innovations together with partners. As part of the CellAg Project (CAP), ProVeg has been raising awareness of cellular agriculture since 2019, connecting the various players from science and industry and researching and providing information on developments such as consumer acceptance.

"Delicious food for everyone" - more plant power in schools

600 million school lunches served annually in Germany are a considerable lever for greater environmental and animal protection. In addition, nutritional behavior and taste experiences in early childhood lay the foundation for later eating habits, often for a lifetime. However, children and young people in Germany generally eat too little fruit, vegetables and whole grains, but too much meat, sausage and sweets, according to a nutrition study by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). According to the AOK family study, many parents lack knowledge about a healthy and climate-friendly diet.

The German Nutrition Society (DGE) recommends offering meat in school meals no more than once a week. However, school menus often do not meet these requirements: they contain too much meat and too few fresh vegetables, wholegrain products and pulses. Well-made, plant-based school meals can significantly reduce a school's environmental and climate footprint, save many animal lives and help close nutritional gaps for children.

Thanks to funding from the Stiftung Zukunft jetzt! , ProVeg has been able to support schools and catering managers for many years with workshops, online offers, campaign days and cookery training to implement the DGE standards by integrating more tasty and healthy plant-based dishes into school lunches. In addition, thanks to the funding, ProVeg is also campaigning at a political level to ensure that more plant power ends up on school plates.

Corporate Engagement - For a wider, better and cheaper range of plant-based products

In the area of corporate engagement, ProVeg is working to improve the availability, taste and price of plant-based products in the food retail trade (LEH) and out-of-home market (AHM). To this end, companies are motivated and supported by market analyses, rankings and targeted advisory services. High-profile surveys, such as the restaurant chain ranking or the ProVeg price study, create transparency on the market, sensitize company managers to the need for an attractive plant-based offering and thus initiate concrete changes. One example of success is the price reductions of plant-based products at leading retailers within a very short space of time.

With tools such as the New Food Hub platform, ProVeg also provides expertise, guidelines and global market data to drive the development and marketing of plant-based products. This gives companies valuable insights into market trends, consumer preferences and strategies for optimizing their plant-based product range. ProVeg also regularly organizes industry events and participates in conferences to inform decision-makers about the opportunities of plant-based options.

For several years, the Stiftung Zukunft jetzt! has enabled the further development of ProVeg's corporate commitment through its funding. Thanks to this support, comprehensive market research has been carried out and international consumer surveys have been implemented. The expansion of the New Food Hub platform was also significantly supported by the foundation. In addition, the ProVeg Foundation facilitates direct dialog with key players. In 2024, for example, over 1,300 decision-makers were reached through trade fair appearances and presentations alone. Thanks to the collaboration between ProVeg and the Stiftung Zukunft jetzt! , decisive impetus for a more sustainable food system is being provided in the right places for the benefit of consumers.

ProVeg Incubator

To reduce the consumption of animal products by 50 percent by 2040, ProVeg launched the ProVeg Incubator in 2018. It is the first and leading support program for start-ups in the field of plant-based, fermented and cell-cultivated foods. The aim is to reduce the demand for animal products by providing tasty, affordable and widely available alternatives. The Incubator therefore supports companies that develop innovative and scalable plant-based or cultured meat, fish, egg and dairy product alternatives and ingredients.

The Stiftung Zukunft jetzt! has been supporting the ProVeg Incubator since 2020, helping to shape the food market of tomorrow. More than 100 start-ups have now completed the ProVeg Incubator funding program. Their products are available in more than 15,000 sales outlets worldwide. The portfolio, which now represents more than 30 countries, grows with each funding round. Start-ups from Egypt, Singapore and the USA took part in the twelfth cohort. This is primarily due to the rapid digitalization of the programme and the continuous investment in the know-how of the Incubator team. Both areas are the focus of support from the Stiftung Zukunft jetzt!. Other formats that form a thematic interface with the Incubator also benefit from the funding. For example, the “New Food Conference” with a focus on innovative technologies in the field of alternative proteins (e.g. fermentation and cellular agriculture). The event brings together international stakeholders from young and established companies along the entire value chain as well as non-governmental organizations and investors.

Agricultural turnaround and alternative proteins

Agriculture is facing major challenges: Climate change, animal welfare and resource scarcity and securing our food supply require fundamental changes. Alternative proteins offer a key solution. They conserve resources, promote health and create sustainable prospects for agriculture.

The Stiftung Zukunft jetzt! supports ProVeg in actively shaping this change. ProVeg brings stakeholders from agriculture, politics and business into dialog in order to create openness for change and impart knowledge about the advantages of a plant-based food system. The aim is to position alternative proteins as an opportunity. ProVeg addresses the entire value chain with targeted measures: from advising political decision-makers and responsible federal ministries to exchanging ideas with the retail trade and mass catering. Based on best practice examples, farmers and politicians learn in dialog how a sustainable agricultural turnaround can succeed. Together, the Stiftung Zukunft jetzt! and ProVeg are helping to create a political framework that will enable the transition to a responsible food system.