Vegan hack - none are 'very good', eight are only 'satisfying'
Free Hack is now found in supermarkets in various forms. But does it taste like meat? The Stiftung Warentest investigated this and also measured its fat, calorie, and contaminant content. The result: quite inconsistent.
Veggie-Hack from the refrigerated section tastes most like meat. Dry products, however, also have their advantages: They lag behind the original in texture and mouthfeel, but they usually come without additives and aromas. They contained on average less fat and salt. This is the result of a test by Stiftung Warentest ("Test"-Issue 8/2024).
15 vegan products were tested, including 8 refrigerated and 7 dry. None of the products received the "very good" rating, but 7 received the "good" rating. The rest were "satisfying".
The vegan Hack from Rügenwalder (1.32 per 100 grams) and Hick-Hack-Hurra vegan Hack from The Vegetarian Butcher (1.83 Euro per 100 grams) tied for first place. Price-performance winners were Rewe Beste Wahl - Veganes Hack and Aldi My Vay - The Wonder vegan Hack, priced at 83 cents per 100 grams. Among the uncooked dry granulate products, Bio-Granulat Veganes Hack from Alnatura ("good", 2.49 Euro per 100 grams) performed best. 100 grams of dry granulate is equivalent to approximately 300 grams of prepared Veggie-Hack.
Unbeatable in the ecological balance
All tested products (mostly made of soy, sunflower, or peas) received ratings in terms of nutritional physiology between "very good" and "satisfying". Veggie-Hack usually contains less fat and calories than its meat counterpart. However, meat remains a better source of iron.
From an ecological perspective, it makes sense to choose Veggie-Hack over the real thing. Since it doesn't need to be refrigerated, it has an additional advantage.
The Institute for Energy and Environmental Research Heidelberg, according to "Test", calculated the typical CO2 footprint from the ingredient lists of several vegan products available on the market. For soy-based Veggie-Hacks, 1.3 kilograms of CO2 equivalents per kilogram of Veggie-Hack are emitted (peas: 1.4). For dry sunflower seed Hack, it is even only 0.5. Mixed Bio-Hackmeat comes to 9.2, conventional to 6.1 kilograms.
- Consumers who follow a vegan lifestyle may be interested in the findings of the test conducted by Stiftung Warentest on vegan hacks, as it evaluated their taste, fat content, calorie count, and contaminant levels.
- The guide to vegan nutrition suggests that plant-based alternatives like vegan hacks can be a good source of nutrients, as they often contain less fat and calories than their meat counterparts, but may not provide as much iron.
- For those who are concerned about their carbon footprint, the choice between vegetarian diet options and meat can have a significant impact. According to the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research Heidelberg, vegan hacks made from soy or peas have a lower CO2 emission than conventional meat products.
- To make informed decisions about their vegan nutrition, consumers may find it helpful to consider not only the taste and texture of vegan hacks, but also their nutritional content and environmental impact.
