Photo: obs / IKEA Germany GmbH & Co. KG
Vegan Köttbullar at IKEA
With a meatless alternative to climate change: Since April 8, 2015 IKEA offers its restaurant customer vegan Köttbullar.
So far, vegetarians and vegans always had to do without the typical Swedish classic during their IKEA visit. But now it's over! IKEA offers since April 8, 2015, a meatless version of the much-eaten Köttbullar .
The dish, which usually consists of minced meat, contains no animal products in the vegan form and is therefore suitable not only for vegetarians but also for vegans. That's what it says on the Facebook page of peta2.de. Here the introduction of the 'vegan köttbullar' was already announced in January for April 2015. The meatless meatballs are not only available in Germany, but in all IKEA branches worldwide.
According to a report by the British Telegraph, 150 million Köttbullar go over the counter every year at IKEA. Here, the carbon dioxide emission value in the production of meatballs should be the highest. A meatless and thus vegan Köttbullar variant can therefore also reduce the environmental impact and thus set a sign in the fight against climate change. Of course, this also depends on how many customers of the IKEA restaurant will sooner reach for the veggie balls than for the typical Köttbullar. Michael La Cour, Managing Director of IKEA Food Services, is optimistic: "I am proud that we are now taking the first step and also offering vegetable balls."
The vegan variant is not Köttbullar, but Grönsaksbullar. These vegetable dumplings mainly consist of chickpeas and kale, plus corn, peppers, carrots and spices. Felicitas Kitali, Peta Germany's Nutrition Specialist, told the newspaper "Welt" that the Grönsaksbullar "traces of milk and egg can not be ruled out", but this is "only for allergic people" because the recipe contains no animal products are.
PETA definitely considers the launch of the Veggie Balls a success - the animal welfare organization has even been involved in product development. A petition launched last year to IKEA pleading to offer "vegan meatballs" in the future is now bearing fruit. The petition was signed by around 26, 000 people.
According to media reports, the vegan court is to polish up the image of the furniture chain. Higher sales than the tradiionellen Köttbullar, the Grönsaksbullar probably will not reach. Vegans, like animal rights activists, have a big impact on public opinion. "To win over these people is one of the smartest things a big company can do today, " said brand strategist Klaus-Dieter Koc h to the Süddeutsche Zeitung.
