Definitely — in Europe too — but I still fail. I try new vegan cheese substitutes every time I see a new one in the shops. All of them in the UK have been worse than plain bread.

On the other hand, soy milk comes in many good flavours now, both in the UK and Germany, as does soy yoghurt.

My biggest weakness is where non-vegan stuff is an ingredient: cake (eggs, milk), chocolate (milk), bread often has milk powder too.

It is getting easier though.

I'm not vegan anymore due to a change in ethical reasoning, but I still love cashew cheese: http://wallflowerkitchen.com/cashew-cheese-sauce/

Milk is not necessary in cake, chocolate or bread.

True, but most producers use it anyway. If I make any of those myself I can avoid it or substitute something else, but not so easy with store bought.