Plant-based meat ‘healthier and more sustainable’

ACCORDING to a new study, plantbased nutritional substitutes for animal products are healthier for the environment and people than the animal products they are meant to replace.

The findings of the research were published in the journal Future Foods.

The study argues that because these foods are “specifically formulated to replicate the taste, texture, and overall eating experience of animal products, they are a much more effective way of reducing demand for meat and dairy than simply encouraging people to cook vegetarian whole foods”.

The research, conducted by psychologists at the University of Bath, concludes that plant-based meat and dairy alternatives “offer a healthier and more environmentally sustainable solution which takes into account consumer preferences and behaviour”.

The review examined 43 studies into the health and environmental impacts of plant-based foods, as well as consumer attitudes. One study found that almost 90% of consumers who ate plant-based meat and dairy were in fact meat-eaters or flexitarians; another found that plant-based products with a similar taste, texture, and price to processed meat had the best chance of replacing meat.

The paper also found that these plant-based products caused lower levels of greenhouse gas emissions than the animal products they were replacing.