Vegan hacks - none is 'very good', seven are 'good'
Tariff-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, 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 eight refrigerated and seven dry. None of the products received the grade "very good", but seven received the grade "good". The rest were "satisfying".
The vegan Mühlen 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 nutrition-physiology grades between "very good" and "satisfying". Veggie-Hack usually contains less fat and calories than its meat counterpart. However, meat remains a better iron supplier.
From an ecological perspective, it makes sense to prefer Veggie-Hack to 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", derived the typical CO2 footprint from the ingredient lists of several vegan products available on the market. For soy-based chilled products, the CO2 emissions amount to 1.3 kilograms of CO2 equivalents per kilogram (peas: 1.4). For dry sunflower seed hack, it is even only 0.5. Mixed bio hack meat comes to 9.2, conventional to 6.1.
- The Foundation Test's report on vegan products revealed that Veggie-Hack from the refrigerated section has the closest taste to meat, although dry products may lag behind in texture and mouthfeel.
- Consumers searching for a nutritious vegetarian alternative may find value in Veggie-Hack, which contains less fat and calories than most meat counterparts, although it may not provide as much iron.
- According to a guide by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research Heidelberg, opting for Veggie-Hack can significantly contribute to reducing CO2 Emissions, as soy-based chilled Veggie-Hack has a lower CO2 footprint than either mixed bio hack meat or conventional meat.
- Meat-avoidant consumers should consider the high fat and calorie content of meat when comparing it to Veggie-Hack and opt for the latter from an ecological standpoint, as it results in fewer CO2 Emissions, especially when choosing soy-based chilled Veggie-Hack.
