Food & beverage
For this reason, Vegan Travel only charters the newest vessels on the market, which are powered by cleaner fuels and use energy-efficient technologies. “That way, we can somehow say this is brand new, it doesn’t burn fuel all the time, it also partly uses electricity,” says Bocklage. “River vessels are very different to ocean going vessels – they don’t burn heavy fuel, they use shore power wherever possible, they’re much greener.” In 2019, Vegan Travel also started work on a ‘green ship project’, which has been put on hold due to the pandemic. “Realistically it will take at least ten years before such a vessel can be launched,” he admits. “But it’s important to have vision.”
Vegan travel lives on
In the meantime, Bocklage is convinced that more cruise lines will begin to rethink their F&B offers, and put more focus on vegan and plant-based options. “It’s still difficult to be on a Carnival or a Princess cruise and enjoy very nice vegan food,” he says. “Especially if you’ve been vegan for some time, you might be travelling on a ship with 2,000 non-vegans and seeing what they eat and how they eat it. But I guess it will become easier. Indeed, there might be another pandemic if people don’t change their way of eating.” Egger’s top piece of advice is to know exactly what your goal is with your new menu or dishes. “You really need to understand the topic of vegan and plant-based menus,” he says. “What is vegan and what isn’t? There
is a difference between vegan and a plant-based diets. “Vegans try to avoid or minimise all forms of animal exploitation, including that of bees. As a result, most vegans exclude honey from their diets, replacing it with plant-based sweeteners, ranging from maple syrup to blackstrap molasses. Plant- based diets do not necessarily eliminate animal products, but focus on eating mostly plants, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.” For Bocklage, introducing fake meat to the menu is the easy option for operators. And while it’s a great way to begin convincing cruise passengers that cutting out meat doesn’t mean sacrificing flavour, Vegan Travel doesn’t feature plant-based sausages or burgers too heavily on its menus. “For non-vegans, it’s nice and appealing and it is a good start, but there’s so much more to vegan cooking,” he stresses. Egger agrees: “There are some really good factory-manufactured vegan products on the market today that also taste nice, however, I personally prefer homemade, fresh and, of course, creative vegan or plant-based cuisine.” Vegan Travel had planned to run two Croatia voyages in 2020, which were put on hold for obvious reasons. The excitement in Bocklage’s voice is palpable as he explains that they are finally setting sail in the coming days. “They’re not fully booked, but we are happy to sail again,” he enthuses. “It still feels unreal somehow but it’s important to show people that vegan travel is still alive.” ●
27%
The amount generated by the 27% surge of plant-based food sales.
PBFA & GFI $7bn
The percentage surge of plant- based food sales in the US in 2020, nearly twice as much as overall retail food sales.
World Cruise Industry Review /
www.worldcruiseindustryreview.com
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