Plant-based meats ‘too salty and processed’

UN raises concerns but nevertheless urges world governments to support industry

PLANT-BASED alternative meat products are often highly processed and have too much salt, the UN has said, while still urging governments to consider providing more support to the industry.

Vegan substitutes can contribute to significantly reducing the carbon footprint of meat and dairy, especially in richer countries, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said.

Animal products account for between 14.5 and 20 per cent of global emissions, from direct methane emissions, feed, changes in land use and energy-intensive global supply chains.

The UN looked at several different alternatives, including lab-grown meat and fermentation-derived products.

Plant-based products, such as those made from soy or pea protein, are among the most popular alternative meat products, often marketed as sausages or burgers.

But the UN cautioned that these products “currently tend to be highly processed and have high amounts of salt”. It added that the evidence of health impacts from lab-grown meat or fermentation-based products was also limited.

Lab-grown meat is also highly energy intensive, with a study earlier this year finding it could be 25 times more costly for the environment than beef.

A mass shift away from meat and dairy and towards vegan alternatives could also “threaten a range of existing jobs”, the UN said.

But it said meat-free options “can likely play a role in supporting a more sustainable, healthier and more humane food system”.

Inger Andersen, executive director of UNEP, said more government support could “help unlock the potential of these new technologies for some countries”.

Global meat consumption is expected to increase by 50 per cent by 2050, adding to deforestation pressure in areas such as the Amazon.

“New food alternatives will offer a broader spectrum of consumer choices,” said Ms Andersen.

“Further, such alternatives can also lessen the pressures on agricultural lands and reduce emissions, thereby helping us address the triple planetary crisis – the crisis of climate change, the crisis of biodiversity and nature loss, the crisis of pollution and waste – as well as address the health and environmental consequences of the animal agriculture industry.”

The Government has said it wants the UK to be at the front of the alternative proteins sector, and is providing £12 million backing for a project at the University of Bath to develop the technology.

But it has been accused of relying too heavily on alternative proteins as a solution to food emissions, which experts say must include a reduction in meat consumption.

Callum Grubb, 19, from Fife, lives the life of a 1940s gentleman by driving his Austin Cambridge and listening to Vera Lynn records