Plant-based alts have “better nutrition profile” than meat and dairy

Good news for plant-based meat and dairy alternatives: the nutritional profile of plant-based meat alternatives is better overall than that of their animal-based equivalents, and the nutritional properties of plant-based milk alternatives are similar to cow’s milk. 

However, they’re only “slightly better”, said Proveg International which conducted the research: “[…] both categories have moderate nutritional value, with room for improvement.” 

Proveg assessed 422 meat alternatives and 251 dairy alternatives in 11 countries, including the UK, US, South Africa and Malaysia. Products were scored based on the WHO Nutrient Profile Model (NPM), the Netherlands Nutrition Center and the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) nutrition claim legislation.

“The total average score for plant-based meat alternatives was 5.32, while for animal-based meat it was 4.50,” Proveg revealed. The Netherlands had the highest average score, with 6.67 points out of 8; and of the 82 Dutch plant-based meat products analysed, 22 received the maximum score of 8 (versus 6 for the meat products). The UK scored just under 6.

Plant-based meat alternatives were found to have less saturated fat and “significantly more” fibre than their animal counterparts.

Meanwhile, plant-based milk alternatives contained less total fat and less saturated fat than cow’s milk. Soy milk “performed particularly well” in all countries, said Proveg, with the UK among the countries offering “the best-performing” milk alternatives.

In all countries, the majority of plant-based milk alternatives analysed can be considered low in sugar, with fortification with calcium often making the alternatives comparable to cow’s milk. However, fortification, including with vitamin B12 and iron, varies “widely” from country to country and product to product.

Throughout the different subcategories, only schnitzel performed worse in almost all countries compared to its animal-based counterpart.

Proveg noted that the priority is plant-based diets with whole foods, including plenty of fruit and vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. However, transitioning from a meat-and-dairy-centred diet to a plant-centric one can be “made easier” by the availability of plant-based alternatives or products that have a similar taste and texture to their animal-based counterparts. 

Anna-Lena Klapp, report co-author and head of research at ProVeg, said plant-based alternatives “can build bridges” between people’s current eating habits and a healthy, climate-friendly eating habit. The new research “really highlights how much potential plant-based alternatives have to bring more diversity to people’s plates and replace vast quantities of animal-based products currently dominating the supermarket shelves”, she added.

Among the recommendations put forward in the report, retailers were urged to ensure that the alternatives were no more expensive than the meat or dairy options.