A new study, conducted in Argentina by Animal Libre and published by Veganuary, comparing a traditional Argentinian festive meat menu with its vegan version, concluded that the latter could be up to 39% cheaper. The research compared a complete classic end-of-year menu for four people with a starter, main course and dessert, and the vegan version was $2,968 cheaper than the same menu with meat.
The data of this study, titled “Traditional Menu versus Menu vegan: Comparison of preparation costs”, was taken in December 2022 from an average supermarket chain nationwide in Argentina. The menu consisted of vitel toné (a traditional Argentina dish consisting of veal served with a creamy anchovy and tuna-based creamy sauce) as an entrance, matambre rolled (an Argentinian stuffed flank steak with hard-boiled eggs), as a main course, and pudding. If the entire menu were to be prepared only with plant-based products, the total cost would be $4,478 versus the $7,446 it would cost if the preparation included meat and other animal products such as cheese, eggs and milk. If the study would have looked at an average working day vegan meal without any fake meat, it probably would have found even more savings, as seasonal vegetables, local pulses and common grains are cheaper than meat and other animal products.
Marina Gómez Romero, from the Animal Libre study team, said, “at this holiday season we all celebrate! We offer you a vegan menu, respectful of other animals, friendly to the environment and also to the economy of your home. We conducted a study to show you how much you can save by modifying simple steps.”
The study also considered the nutritional value of each menu, noting that the vegan version contained more dietary fibre, phytochemicals, and trace elements, was less caloric and had less total fat per serving.
