Neighborhood canteens in Berlin: Bring on the vegan food

F urt is political: It affects health, climate protection and various justice issues from the treatment of animals to increasing food poverty. But many politicians avoid the topic. This is also a success for the right, who are turning it into a culture war: When Weidel screams that she won't let her schnitzel be taken away from her or Söder fights against a meat ban that no one is demanding, food should appear as an expression of individual freedom.

But that's a myth. What we eat is not solely determined by personal preferences. Access, supply, prices shape our decisions – research speaks of “food environments”. Politics has long been shaping it - and could reshape it in such a way that good food becomes easier for everyone.

is a specialist speaker at the organization Faba Concepts, which advocates for a plant-based food system. Her book “Differently fed up: How to successfully exit the animal industry” was published by Ventil Verlag in 2022.

A particularly exciting proposal comes from the Berlin Left Party in the current election campaign: They want to set up 20 neighborhood canteens that serve state-funded meals. This would partially deprivatize nutrition and treat it as a public service. Neighborhood canteens could combat food poverty and loneliness and strengthen health, climate protection and justice.

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What is crucial, however, is their design. At a press event in February, the left's leading candidate Elif Eralp served stuffed cabbage. But additionally subsidizing meat is counterproductive. In the current concept, the goal is now “plant-based” and there is talk of a minimum quota of plant-based foods. At a pilot neighborhood canteen in August in Kreuzberg, the vegetarian-vegan offering was well received.

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A completely plant-based offer would be even better. Given the average diet, which is heavy on animal products, it needs to be balanced with healthy vegetables and legumes. Whether and how the neighborhood canteens will become a reality will only become clear after the election on September 20th. If the project succeeds, it could radiate beyond Berlin: the problems it answers exist everywhere.