After having maintained a completely vegetarian menu since 2021, the German company Volkswagen has decided to reintroduce meat and fish on the menus of the canteens at its plant in Wolfsburg, where the company is headquartered. This has occurred after multiple of its workers expressed their dissatisfaction with the decision, assuring that it had been made unilaterally and without consulting them.
The change generated so much unrest partly because the favorite dish in the canteens of its factories is currywurst, one of the most representative recipes of German gastronomy. This is made with a sausage seasoned with curry sauce and ketchup, and is usually accompanied by French fries. The company has offered food to its workers since the opening of its factory in 1938 and has even had its own farms dedicated to this. The iconic preparation has been part of its menus since 1973 and is also sold in stores and supermarkets, which has made it one of the company's best-selling items, above its cars.
Volkswagen implemented this change to a vegetarian menu in order to promote sustainability and make its corporate menus healthier, thus contributing to reducing its carbon footprint. However, the idea was not well received and even reached political levels. Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (who was also a director of the company) protested through a post on his LinkedIn profile in 2021: "If I were still on the VW board, something like this would not have happened. The currywurst with French fries is one of the energy bars of the skilled worker in production. It should stay that way," he said.
For his part, Herbert Diess, CEO of the company, has maintained his hope of gradually reducing the supply of industrial meat in factory canteens by 2025: "Less meat, more vegetables, better ingredients: an immense step forward. Good nutrition "It is important, it is decisive for the health, the state of mind and, therefore, also for the productivity of employees," the businessman explained on his LinkedIn in 2021 when announcing this decision.
The return of the currywurst to the Markenhochhaus dining room, located in the Wolfsburg factory, has occurred thanks to the "request of the workers", according to a spokeswoman for the brand. The success of this sausage has been such that, even during the period when only the vegetarian menu was offered, sales of the sausage have increased in the last two years.
