Vegan foods hide highly processed secrets

VEGAN alternative foods should be labelled more clearly because the public do not realise they are ultraprocessed, according to a new study.

While switching to plant-based alternatives for meat, eggs, cheese and yoghurt appears to be better for the environment, it is not necessarily healthier, experts have said.

Researchers have called for vegan alternatives and meat substitutes to be labelled and categorised because they can often contain more sugar and salt than the product they are replacing.

Ultra-processed foods are usually higher in fat, sugar and salt, and contain chemicals, colourings, sweeteners and preservatives that extend shelf life.

The team analysed about 90 studies into vegan alternative foods to get one of the biggest sample sizes to date. They found plant-based substitutes could be healthy options because they were often higher in fibre and lower in fat, but this was not always the case and the nutritional values drastically varied from product to product. Vegan alternatives are better for the environment because they produce less greenhouse gases and do not use as much land.

The research, published in the journal Nutrition Reviews, found that some plant-based cheeses had twice the saturated fat of normal cheese, while meat replacements usually had more sugar.

The main primary ingredient, as well as processing techniques and brand, were all vital to determining a product’s nutritional value and environmental impact. While researchers said all plantbased alternatives are “technically” ultra-processed, they found the nutritional value of some products align with healthy dietary recommendations.

They suggested establishing a “clear division” between products that are less processed and ultra-processed, and conducting further studies. Sarah Najera Espinosa, study author at the

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: “Some products, such as legume and vegetable-based drinks and legume- and mycoprotein-based meats, have the potential to be a useful stepping stone in the process of food system and dietary transformation.”

The research – which excluded tofu, tempeh and seitan, foods that have been part of traditional Asian diets for centuries – analysed more than 90 studies and reports from 2016 and 2022.

Academics said the “limited evidence” on swapping meat for plantbased alternatives suggest the shift could be good for health, but the results for plant-based drinks were mixed, with links to micronutrient deficiencies.

Meat and drink alternatives had, on average, the same salt levels as animal products, although meat alternatives had more sugar. The team suggested labelling plant-based alternatives – along with studies to evaluate how dietary changes affect the environment – should be a priority for policymakers.