ProVeg Deutschland
ProVeg Deutschland is a German non-profit that aims to reduce the consumption of animal products and promote vegetarian and vegan nutrition for ecological, ethical, health, and social reasons. It is the German branch of ProVeg International and is based in Berlin. With about 14,000 members (as of 2015), it has been the largest meat-free group in the German-speaking world. It is a member of the European Vegetarian Union and the International Vegetarian Union, and its president since 1996 is Thomas Schönberger.
The organization grew from Germany’s 19th-century vegetarian movement. It became Deutscher Vegetarierbund (the German Vegetarian League) after a 1892 merger, faced suppression during the Nazi era, and was re-established after World War II. It went through several restructurings and, in 2008, took the name Vegetarierbund Deutschland (VEBU). In 2017, it changed its name to ProVeg Deutschland and joined ProVeg International. It funds its work mainly through member fees, donations, and licensing the European V-Label for vegetarian and vegan products. Since 2014, it has carried the Initiative Transparente Zivilgesellschaft transparency seal.
ProVeg Deutschland runs campaigns to promote meat-free eating, such as Veggieday (meat-free days in restaurants and canteens), the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale, and Meatout campaigns. It publishes the ProVeg Magazin (formerly Vebu Magazin) and Veggie Times, and operates a Veggie app to help people find veggie-friendly places. The organization supports a regional network with hundreds of local groups and has organized VeggieWorld, Europe’s largest vegan lifestyle fair, since 2011.
It also runs educational projects like Carnism awareness with psychologist Melanie Joy. In 2016, it staged a controversial publicity stunt involving a Swiss restaurant to draw attention to the consumption of animals; the organizers later issued a joint statement clarifying that it was a setup.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 13:01 (CET).