The study, published in Current Research in Food Science, a high-impact journal in the field of Food Science and Technology, analyzed the nutritional quality of plant-based meat analogs and compared them to their animal-based counterparts. According to the research, 80% of the products available on the Brazilian market have good nutritional quality according to the Nutri-Score indicator.
Led by the team of Prof. Dr. Veridiana de Rosso from the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) and funded by The Good Food Institute Brazil (GFI Brazil), the research evaluated the nutritional information declared on the labels of 349 plant-based foods similar to meat and 351 meat products, such as hamburgers, meatballs, breaded foods, sausages, kibbeh, kaftas, sausages, mortadella, bacon, among others, from July 2022 to June 2023.
To analyze the nutritional quality of these products, in addition to the labeling information, different indicators were used, including the Nutri-Score (used in European countries, such as Belgium, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany), the NOVA classification and the Nutritional Profile established by RDC 429/2020 of ANVISA (called Lupa).
NOVA classifies foods by the degree of processing and quantity of ingredients; Nutri-Score assesses the presence of desirable nutrients (such as proteins and fibers) and less desirable nutrients (such as saturated fat, sugar, salt and high energy value) and the front-of-pack nutritional labeling established by ANVISA's RDC 429/2020 identifies products with high levels of three nutrients: added sugars, saturated fats and sodium.
Main Results:
The results of the study demonstrated that the nutritional quality of plant-based foods similar to meat was better represented by indicators such as Nutri-Score and Nutritional Profile established by ANVISA's RDC 429/2020 than by NOVA, since the first two are the profiles that act most efficiently to define whether a food has good nutritional quality.
- NutriScore:
- 80% of plant-based meat-like foods were rated as good quality, compared to just 19% of animal-based meat products.
- RDC 429/2020 (ANVISA) – Magnifying glass:
- 69% of plant-based foods similar to meat were considered to be of good nutritional quality, while only 20% of animal products achieved this classification.
- NOVA Classification:
- Almost 92% of animal products were classified as ultra-processed, while 73% of plant-based foods similar to meat received this classification.
According to Dr. Graziele Bovi Karatay, a specialist at GFI Brazil, the fact that both animal and plant-based products are classified as ultra-processed, but have different results in other nutritional quality indicators, demonstrates that the concept of ultra-processed does not adequately represent the nutritional quality attributes of plant-based foods similar to meat.
“Even though they are classified as ultra-processed, depending on the degree of processing and quantity of ingredients, plant-based foods similar to meat differ nutritionally from other ultra-processed foods, whether plant-based or animal-based. Therefore, it is not appropriate to classify and evaluate the nutritional quality of plant-based foods similar to meat in the same way that other ultra-processed products are classified and evaluated,” explains the GFI specialist.
The study also evaluated two other quality indicators: (1) the nutritional profile model of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), which defines when products are rich in sugars, fats, saturated fats, trans fats and sodium and is based on the nutrient intake targets for the population and (2) a classification developed specifically for the study considering the classification by Nutri-Score and NOVA.
The study also provided information on the nutrients present in the foods analyzed, regarding:
Saturated fat, fatty acids and sodium:
- The results identified the minimum and maximum values of saturated fat present in plant-based foods analogous to meat and in meat products. For plant-based foods analogous to meat, the minimum was 0 and the maximum was 17.5 g of saturated fat in 100 g of product, while for meat products the minimum was 0 and the maximum was 42 g of saturated fat in 100 g of product.
- 55% of meat-like plant foods used unsaturated fatty acids as the main fat source and 22% had no fat source at all.
- For plant-based foods similar to meat, the minimum was 0 and the maximum was 1966 mg of sodium in 100 g of product for plant-based foods similar to meat, while for meat products the minimum was 0 and the maximum was 7723 mg of sodium in 100 g of product.
Proteins:
- Although manufacturers commonly mix plant-based protein sources, soy is still the most widely used, appearing in 52% of plant-based meats as the main protein ingredient.
- For plant-based foods similar to meat, the minimum was 1 and the maximum was 53,7 g of protein in 100 g of product, which shows that there is a considerable variation in the protein content of plant-based meat products (1% to 54%).
According to Dr. Veridiana, this change reinforces how timely it would be to define specific regulations for plant-based foods similar to meat in Brazil, especially in relation to nutritional quality and identity profile. The meat products market is well regulated, and the identity and quality profile was recently revised, especially with regard to the minimum protein levels required for meat burgers (15%), kibbeh (11%), meatballs (12%) and ham (16%). The definition of these regulations for plant-based foods is part of Anvisa's 2024-25 Regulatory Agenda and the industry is awaiting this definition to be able to guide its products.
According to the researcher, a recent update of Brazilian legislation included the requirement of a specific profile of indispensable amino acids for the use of protein nutrition claims (histidine: 15 mg/g of protein; isoleucine: 30 mg/g; leucine: 59 mg/mg; lysine: 45 mg/g; methionine + cysteine: 22 mg/g; phenylalanine + tyrosine: 38 mg/g; tryptophan: 6 mg/g and valine: 39 mg/g). In general, legumes such as soybeans, peas, chickpeas, beans and cereals such as wheat and quinoa, which are typically used as protein sources in meat analogues in Brazil, present different digestible indispensable amino acid scores (DIAASs). Potato and soy proteins are classified as high-quality proteins with average DIASS values equivalent to 100 and 91, respectively. Furthermore, an interesting strategy for the development of plant-based meat foods is that soy and potato proteins could complement a wide range of plant proteins to compensate for the indispensable amino acid limitations. The combination of rice:bean protein (2:1), for example, has the potential to achieve optimal nutritional efficiency when combined with plant proteins alone or when supplemented with methionine and cysteine + lysine.
Fibers:
- Plant-based meat products (median for burger analogues: 5,2 g/100 g and median for cured meat analogues: 4,0 g/100 g) stand out for their fiber content compared to animal-based products (median for burger: 0,5 g/100 g and median for cured meat: 0,0 g/100 g), which generally do not have this nutrient.
- The high fiber content of plant-based foods is one of the main factors associated with the beneficial health effects observed in consumers with vegan diets.
- According to the study, the use of nutritional claims for fiber could be employed for 68,5% of plant-based foods analogous to meat, especially for burgers and meatballs, reaching 84,6% and 80,0% of total products, respectively.
Conclusions:
According to Dr. Veridiana, the study allows us to recommend that consumers choose the indicator represented by the Brazilian front-of-pack nutritional label (magnifying glass) to choose plant-based foods similar to meat. “This recommendation is justified especially due to the excellent agreement between this indicator and Nutri-Score, as they were able to effectively differentiate products with low nutritional quality. NOVA, or the designation of ultra-processed foods, did not perform in the same way, therefore it is not an appropriate indicator to represent the nutritional quality attributes of plant-based foods similar to meat,” she concludes.
Dr. Veridiana emphasizes that, although the Nutritional Quality indicators used in this study are important for assessing the nutritional quality of plant-based meat products, they do not cover all the important nutritional aspects when it comes to replacing meat products, which should involve a multifaceted approach, including macronutrient analysis, sensory evaluation and digestibility studies. In addition, the presence of positive nutrients, such as B vitamins, iron, zinc and soluble and insoluble fibers, and good protein quality should be considered as differentials of nutritionally adequate plant-based meat products.
“Thus, this study provides valuable insights into the nutritional value of plant-based meat analogs. With the growing adoption of flexitarian, vegetarian, and vegan diets, this analysis can help industries develop nutritionally high-quality products that make them increasingly viable as healthy substitutes for meat products and offer consumers the possibility of making informed and conscious choices,” says Cristiana Ambiel, Science and Technology Manager at GFI Brazil.
“We believe that the data obtained can also guide regulatory agencies in formulating public policies to define minimum nutritional quality parameters for these products, in the debates that we hope will take place in 2024 and 2025 between Anvisa, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Legislative Branch, involving both the food and ingredients industry and organized civil society in public hearings on the subject,” points out Alexandre Cabral, Vice President of Public Policies at GFI Brazil.
About the author:
Prof. Dr. Veridiana Vera de Rosso is an Associate Professor and Full Professor at the Federal University of São Paulo, coordinator of the Food Labeling Observatory and the Collaborating Center for School Feeding at UNIFESP. She holds a degree in Food Engineering and a doctorate and post-doctorate in Food Science (UNICAMP). She is a CNPq Research Productivity Scholar (level 1D) (Nutrition). She has published more than 120 articles in indexed journals with a selective editorial policy. Her scientific production has an h-index of 43 and an i10 of 88. She was cited in the Elsevier/Stanford University ranking among the 2% of researchers with the greatest global impact in 2022. She has experience in the area of Food Science and Nutrition, more specifically in the study of bioactive compounds and nutritional value of foods, and food labeling. She participates in national and international research partnerships and has coordinated research and extension projects funded by national and international agencies.
Check out our latest releases
18/12/25
