A weekend at FIBO, between whey shelves and canned chicken

At FIBO, almost every stand sells protein powder made from cow's milk. We were right in the middle, at the largest vegan stand that this trade fair had seen up to that point.

The stand belonged to our partner Nutri-Plus, a purely vegan company that donates five percent of its revenue to animal and environmental protection every month. For an entire weekend, we essentially answered one single question there: Where do you get your protein from, if not from animals?

Dead Hang and Eighty Push-ups

The challenges at the stand were simple. In the dead hang challenge, you held onto a bar and hung. Whoever lasted the longest received a prize. There were no pull-ups.

Then there were push-ups, sometimes fifty in a row, sometimes until no one could do any more, sometimes in groups competing against each other. My maximum was eighty without a break. Raffaela did twenty.

Participants donated to the association Doctors Against Animal Experiments. After the weekend, over 5,000 euros were on the tally sheet.

A correction here, because the wrong number is online: Raffaela had written 3,000 euros in her carousel post. It was over 5,000.

Then They Pulled Out Their Meat

A few carnivores walked directly to the stand, took vacuum-sealed pieces of meat out of their plastic packaging, kept looking over at us and laughing. They were primarily targeting Raffaela. She didn't go over.

At some point, I went over to the guys. I stayed calm and tried to have an objective discussion, as far as that was possible.

Their main argument: What vegans eat is all chemicals, nothing natural. Two seconds earlier, they had pulled their meat out of a single-use plastic bag. That's not an original substance either. A plastic bag is created through a chemical processing process.

A Mother Asked About Her Daughter

At some point, a mother and her daughter were at the stand and had questions about vegan nutrition for children. What do you need to pay attention to when a child grows up vegan?

The conversation carried me through the rest of the day, and it also had a second consequence. Afterwards, it became clear to us that these topics belong more visibly on our website, vegan nutrition for toddlers as well as during pregnancy.

Our pregnancy and breastfeeding guide is available for free download. We answer whether children can be fed vegan here.

The Markus Rühl Stand Sold Canned Chicken Carcasses

More than the raw meat, I was concerned about how little is known about vegan nutrition in sports. At Markus Rühl's stand, there was a large selection of "fitness chicken" in a can. Whey from cow's milk was almost everywhere. Rühl himself was there that weekend, but we didn't meet him.

I wouldn't have thought that at Europe's largest fitness fair in 2026, the same protein myths would still be circulating as ten years ago.

Where Whey Comes From

Whey is no longer a byproduct of the dairy industry. It has become its own business sector. So, anyone who buys whey directly finances this industry.

In it, cows are repeatedly forcibly impregnated and usually separated from their calves shortly after birth. After a short, exhausting life, they end up in the slaughterhouse.

Plant-based protein sources fully cover the needs, even in strength sports. How this looks in everyday life is described in our free guides.

By Evening It Was Clear That We Were Going to HYROX in Berlin

At the end of the weekend, we were exhausted and quite happy.

On-site, we also spoke with the HYROX GER team, the organizers. That same evening, it was clear that we would participate in HYROX in Berlin. We received the tickets as influencers. In return, we promoted the event and showed our vegan colors on-site in our merch.

Do You Want to Stand on the Street Yourself Sometime?

Trade fairs are one of many forms. On How Active, you'll find activism that fits into your daily life, from street activism to conversations within your own family. The next actions are listed on our Events page.