 | |
| Founded | 1892; 133 years ago (1892) |
|---|---|
| Founder | Ernst Hering |
| Type | Non-governmental organisation |
| Focus | Nutrition, health, ecology and animal ethics |
| Location | |
| Origins | Vegetarierbund Deutschland, Leipzig |
Area served | Germany |
| Method | Information, support, campaigns |
| Members | c. 14,000[3] |
Director | Sebastian Joy |
President | Thomas Schönberger |
| Affiliations | ProVeg International ProVeg Nederland European Vegetarian Union[1] |
| Website | proveg.com/de |
ProVeg Deutschland (/ˈprəʊvɛdʒ/,[4] previouslyVegetarierbund Deutschland e. V. (VEBU), in English translated asGerman Vegetarian Association[5]) is a German non-profit organisation whose goal is to reduce the consumption of animal products.[6] ProVeg Deutschland is part ofProVeg International, which serves as an international umbrella for a group of nationally operating organisations.
Theeingetragener Verein's assembly seat and organisational headquarters is located inBerlin.[7]As of 2015, ProVeg Deutschland had 14,000 members,[3] which made it the largest organisation of meatfree living people in the German-speaking world.[8]The association is a member of theEuropean Vegetarian Union (EVU) and theInternational Vegetarian Union (IVU). Since 1996, Thomas Schönberger has served as its president. He publishes the member magazineProVeg Magazin.
According to its own stated objectives, the association strives to "establish in our society a nutritional style and agricultural attitude which are apt for the future, and are vegetarian or vegan, ecologically, ethically and socially responsible and economically viable."[9]Furthermore, its stated goal is to reduce the average per capita meat consumption, to increase knowledge and awareness about the needs and interests of animals and to enshrine animal rights in the domain of nutrition, consumption and legislation. Scientific insights into the positive effects of a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle on the environment, in particular on the global climate andworld hunger problematics, should be disseminated and an ecologically and economically sustainable diet should be promoted worldwide.[10]
The beginning of the vegetarian movement in Germany lies in the 19th century. In 1867 inNordhausen,Eduard Baltzer founded theDeutscher Verein für natürliche Lebensweise ("German Association for a Natural Lifestyle), which was followed by a series of other vegetarian associations. This association merged on 7 June 1892 with theHamburger Vegetarierverein ("Hamburg Vegetarian Association") to become theDeutscher Vegetarierbund ("German Vegetarian League"). This association was founded inLeipzig with the goal of significantly reducing meat consumption in Germany, in order to contribute to a global improvement to ecological and health-related problems. At the time, the association's magazine was calledVegetarische Rundschau ("Vegetarian Review"), laterVegetarische Warte ("Vegetarian Lookout").[11]
In 1932, vegetarians from across the world attended a conference in Oranienburg.[citation needed] However, the member magazine could no longer appear since 1933. Under pressure from theNazis, who accused vegetarian organisations of "promotingpacifism", the association had to dissolve itself on 18 February 1935.[11][12]
After theSecond World War, a re-establishment took place in 1946, although it was hindered by the separation of theAllied occupation zones of Germany. Therefore, at the instigation of Adolf Briest,[citation needed] initially two clubs emerged, theVegetarier-Union Deutschlands ("Vegetarian Union of Germany"; VUD) on 29 May 1946 inSontra nearKassel (American occupation zone) and theDeutsche Vegetarier-Union ("German Vegetarian Union"; DVU) in the French occupation zone, which lasted until the 1970s. The new magazineDer Vegetarier ("The Vegetarian") was founded in 1956, and the same year theDeutscher Vegetarier-Rat ("German Vegetarian Council") was established. From there, many local branches were formed inWest Germany.[11]
In 1973, the VUD merged with theFreundeskreis der deutschen Reformjugend and became theBund für Lebenserneuerung. Vereinigung für ethische Lebensgestaltung, Vegetarismus und Lebensreform ("League for Life Renewal. Association for Ethical Life Design, Vegetarianism and Life Reform"). This complex name was given the simple predicateVegetarierbund Deutschland ("Vegetarian League Germany",VEBU), which became its sole name from 2008 onwards.[11]
At an extraordinary member assembly on 22 April 2017 in Berlin, a name change fromVEBU to ProVeg Deutschland was agreed upon, and the association became part of the umbrella ProVeg International.[13]
Before the year 2008, the membership had stagnated.[14] Since then, however, a strong membership growth has occurred. This was due to new memberships, but also because of the absorption of theVegetarische Gesellschaft Stuttgart ("Stuttgart Vegetarian Society", co-foundedGustav Struve in1868) into theVEBU in 2012.
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 2,500[15] |
| 2009 | 2,800 |
| 2010 | 3,400[16] |
| 2011 | 4,800[17] |
| 2012 | 7,000[18] |
| 2013 | 10,000[19] |
| 2014 | 12,000[20] |
| 2015 | 14,000[21] |
| 2017 | 14,000[11] |
ProVeg Deutschland primarily finances itself by membership contributions, donations, and income generated from licensing theEuropean Vegetarian Union'sV-Label.[22] Furthermore, there is anActive Fund to support public relations.[23]Since May 2014,VEBU/ProVeg Deutschland has carried the seal of theInitiative Transparente Zivilgesellschaft, which requires transparency about, for example, staff structure and expenses.[24]
In Germany, the association has the authority to award theV-Label, which is a seal of approval for vegetarian and vegan products. Among others, Aldi-Süd has been labeling some products with the V label since 2014.[25]
In order to create a sustainable nutritional situation, it has initiated a series of campaigns. TheThursday isVeggieday campaign aims to promote vegetarian and vegan food in restaurants and in canteen catering.[26] ProVeg also calls on active and interested parties every year to participate in the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale, the annual vegan cake campaign days and to participate in the meatout campaign days.[27][28]
Since 1999, the member magazine has been quarterly published under the titleVebu Magazin, later renamedProVeg Magazin, with about 16,000 copies and a size of 48 pages.[29][30] Furthermore, ProVeg and theVeggie Times produce and distribute a newspaper that should give interested people and beginners an overview and tips about a plant-based lifestyle.[31] In addition, various information media are used to reach members and interested parties. There is also a veggie app for smartphones that can be used to find out about veggie-friendly restaurants on the go.[32][33] In addition to general public relations work and services for members and interested parties, ProVeg also has a press office that represents ProVeg in the media.[34]
As a local contact point for vegetarians and vegans, the concept of regional groups or regional contacts was created, which as of 2014 consists of over 200 regional contacts and groups.[35]
TheVEBU was the organiser of the 38th World Vegetarian Congress 2008 in Dresden. The firstVeggieWorld (promoted as 'Europe's largest fair for the vegan lifestyle') took place in February 2011'. This fair around the meat-free lifestyle with around 40 exhibitors, under the sponsorship of the VEBU inWiesbaden with more than 20,000 visitors. The fair has also been held inDüsseldorf since 2011. At the same time, visitors to the supporting programme can find out about a sustainable lifestyle and plant-based nutrition. Celebrities have been guests, among othersAttila Hildmann,Barbara Rütting,Marion Kracht, Ariane Sommer and Anne Menden.[36]
ProVeg has been running itsKarnismus erkennen (Recognising Carnism) project since autumn 2014[37] in cooperation with social psychologistMelanie Joy for public education around the theme ofcarnism.[38] At the beginning of February 2016, a staging as part of a campaign caused a stir in the media: in the fictional Swiss restaurantLa Table Suisse, pets like cats and dogs were offered for consumption. After media coverage in over 25 countries reported it and a shitstorm emerged on social media channels, the action was exposed in mid-February 2016 as a setup. ProVeg, the Swiss Association for VegetarianismSwissveg and the Beyond Carnism association released a joint press statement.[39]
