Plant-based meat alternate options in Australian supermarkets are typically more healthy than meat merchandise, however might lack key vitamins present in actual meat, new analysis suggests.
An evaluation of 790 meat and plant-based merchandise present in main Australian retailers discovered plant-based alternate options had a “more healthy dietary profile” total, however some contained extra sugar.
Of 132 plant-based merchandise examined, solely 12.1% had been fortified with iron, vitamin B12 and zinc – essential micronutrients present in meat.
The researchers analyzed the dietary worth of meat merchandise similar to burgers, sausages, floor beef, bacon and poultry. They in contrast them to plant-based equivalents and rated components similar to well being stars, saturated fats, sodium and the extent to which the meals had been processed.
Maria Shahid, an information analyst on the George Institute for World Well being and co-lead writer of the examine, mentioned plant-based alternate options contained related quantities of protein as meat merchandise.
Plant-based meat alternate options are generally comprised of plant-based proteins similar to wheat, soy, and pea proteins.
“However we often get vitamin B12, iron and zinc from meat. We will additionally get them from conventional plant-based protein sources…issues like tofu, falafel, beans and legumes,” Shahid mentioned.
“In the event you’re somebody who utterly substitutes plant-based alternate options for meat merchandise, and you are not consuming a balanced food plan by consuming plenty of different vegatables and fruits, and maybe not taking any dietary supplements, then you might be vulnerable to micronutrient deficiencies.”
The evaluation additionally discovered that plant-based merchandise typically had larger complete sugar ranges, however Shahid discovered that absolutely the ranges weren’t excessive at round 1g of sugars per 100g.
Most plant-based merchandise had been ultra-processed however had, on common, much less saturated fats and sodium and extra fiber than meat merchandise, the analysis discovered.
dr Jessica Danaher, a nutritionist at RMIT College who was not concerned within the examine, mentioned the analysis solely reported the presence and extent of fortification in plant merchandise.
Which means the micronutrients naturally occurring in meals weren’t thought-about – info that producers usually are not legally obliged to supply.
“Obligatory fortification in Australia is in response to a big public well being want and includes meals producers needing so as to add particular nutritional vitamins or minerals to a selected meals or meals,” Danaher mentioned.
“For instance, producers want so as to add thiamine and folic acid to cooking oil spreads like margarine and wheat flour used to make bread.
“Plant-based meat analogs comprised of beans, legumes, tofu, and plant-based elements would probably already naturally comprise essential micronutrients — together with iron and zinc — albeit in decrease quantities in comparison with animal-derived meats.”
Vitamin B12 can also be present in fortified breakfast cereals, fortified dietary yeast, and fortified soy or almond milk, Danaher added.
Thomas King, govt director of assume tank Meals Frontier, mentioned the variety of plant-based meat merchandise obtainable to customers has doubled because the examine knowledge was collected in 2021.
“Meat reducers or ‘flexitarians’ are the primary shopper group buying plant-based meat alternate options,” King mentioned. “These are individuals who need to scale back their meat consumption or diversify their dietary protein and are due to this fact more likely to get hold of essential micronutrients from different sources – animal and/or plant-based.”
The examine was printed within the journal Vitamin & Dietetics.
