Plant-Based Meat and Dairy Contain More Additives Than Animal Products

A study comparing plant-based products with their animal-based counterparts, found more non-food industrial additives in the alternative products.

Ika Hilal/Shutterstock

Millions of shoppers reach for plant-based alternatives to eat “cleaner.” A new study suggests many of those products may be doing the opposite—loaded with gums, emulsifiers, and stabilizers to mimic the taste and texture of the meat and dairy they’re meant to replace.

The research reveals that plant-based products often contain a greater variety and number of food additives than their traditional animal-based counterparts.

Previous research indicates that consumers perceive products containing higher levels of food additives as less healthy and more processed. This concern is even more pronounced among plant-based consumers, who are particularly sensitive to the presence of additives. Therefore, the study’s finding that plant-based foods designed to mimic animal-based products tend to contain more additives than the original foods they imitate is especially concerning to this group, senior study author Joseph Whittaker, a lecturer at the Institute for Optimum Nutrition (ION), told The Epoch Times.

“It is probably putting off many plant-based dieters from buying these replacement-style products,” he said.

Conducted by researchers at ION, the study, recently published in Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A, compared 71 pairs of plant-based and animal-based products, including dairy, meat, fish, and other savory items, sold at a major UK supermarket. It’s the first study of its kind to systematically compare additive content between the two categories.

Plant-based products contained more food additives and non-food industrial additives than their animal-based counterparts.

The study did not measure health outcomes or how much of these products people actually eat. “We only analyzed one product range so we can’t make generalizations to all plant-based products,” Whittaker said in a statement.

39 Versus 31 Additives

Researchers matched each plant-based product with a comparable animal-based one—similar in name, appearance, size, and packaging—to make the comparison as close as possible. Almond milk was paired with dairy milk, vegan brownies with standard brownies, plant-based meat with regular meat, and so on across categories including lasagne, coleslaw, pesto, mayonnaise, yogurt, and cake.

Ingredients were then classified using the UK Food Standards Agency’s list of additives and counted.

On average, plant-based products contained about two food additives per item, compared with none or fewer in animal-based versions. The range of additive types used was also broader in plant-based foods—39 distinct types, versus 31 in animal-based products. The gap was most pronounced in dairy alternatives such as plant-based cheese and meat and fish substitutes such as vegan sausages and nuggets.

“Non-dairy milks are a great example of how food substitution can go awry,” Lindsay Malone, a registered dietitian and researcher in the Department of Nutrition at Case Western Reserve University, who was not involved in the study, told The Epoch Times.

Plant-based milks often have sweeteners, gums, emulsifiers, even oil added to them to get them to taste, appear, and behave like dairy milk, she said. At the same time, they often contain less protein, calcium, and vitamin D than regular milk. “Nutritionally, these often aren’t superior products.”

Common additives in plant-based options included: E160a (carotenes, used for coloring), E170 (calcium carbonate, likely for appearance and nutrient fortification), E418 (gellan gum, a gelling agent), E270 (lactic acid, regulating acidity), E322 (lecithins, an emulsifier), E461 (methyl cellulose, used for texture), E1450 (modified starch, for thickening), and carrageenan (used as a stabilizer).

In contrast, animal-based products mainly contained additives such as E223 (sodium metabisulphite, preservative), E300 (ascorbic acid, antioxidant), E450 (diphosphates, moisture retention and emulsification), E160c (paprika extract, coloring), and E415 (xanthan gum, thickening and stabilizing).

All of these additives have also been approved in the United States.

Are the Alternative Products Bad for You?

Not necessarily—and that’s the point researchers emphasize. Whittaker noted that no proven link exists between the levels of additives found in a typical diet and increased disease risk—“otherwise regulators would take this into account,” he said.

Other research has linked food additives and the processing involved in making ultra-processed foods to health issues.

More research is needed to verify Whittaker’s findings.

That said, he added, there’s no real upside to consuming them either, so plant-based eaters looking to minimize additives might reasonably choose to avoid them once the fundamentals—exercise, whole foods, nutrient density—are already in place. His advice for additive-conscious shoppers: Stick to naturally plant-based whole foods such as legumes and grains, which contain no additives.

The Findings in Context

The findings shouldn’t be read as a verdict on plant-based diets generally, Sotiria Everett, a registered dietitian and clinical assistant professor at Stony Brook Medicine, who was not involved in the study, told The Epoch Times. While the study found that plant-based alternatives contained more additives than their animal-based counterparts, she said it did not evaluate whether these additives caused health problems, nor did it assess the amounts consumed or actual exposure levels.

That said, she added, there are a few additives that may be more relevant for certain individuals:

Carrageenan (E407)

Commonly used in some plant milks and plant-based cheeses, “may aggravate gastrointestinal symptoms in some people with pre-existing digestive issues such as irritable bowel syndrome, although the scientific evidence remains mixed,” Everett said.

“Carrageenan is not unique to plant-based foods and is also found in products such as ice cream, whipped toppings, and heavy cream,” she added.

Gums and Stabilizers

These include gellan gum (E418), sodium alginate (E401), and xanthan gum (E415), which “can occasionally cause bloating or digestive discomfort in sensitive individuals, especially when consumed in larger quantities,” she noted.

High Sodium

Many plant-based meat alternatives are also relatively high in sodium, which may be a more meaningful concern from a public health perspective than the additives themselves, “particularly for individuals with hypertension or cardiovascular disease,” she said.

“Overall, I would be less concerned about occasional consumption of approved food additives and more concerned about a dietary pattern that relies heavily on highly processed foods—whether they are plant-based or animal-based.”