‘Plant-based meat substitutes should not be seen as nutritionally interchangeable with real meat’

While plant-based meat substitutes can taste and chew similar to beef, scientists have found that the nutritional content of the two can “differ widely.”

The researchers from Duke University in the US believe the findings can help consumers make informed decisions as the meat products and plant-based substitutes are not “truly nutritionally interchangeable.”

Several studies in the past have urged countries to reduce their meat and diary production in order to stay within the safe limits for greenhouse gas emissions from cattle.

With years of push, complimented by large investments and sophisticated marketing, companies started producing plant-based alternatives to meat that they have claimed to be “indistinguishable” from their beefy counterparts.

In order to replicate the nutrition in meat, manufacturers add vitamin B12, zinc, and proteins from soy, peas and other plant sources, while also including leghemoglobin, an iron-carrying molecule from soy and red beet, and the fibre methyl cellulose, to simulate bloodiness and texture of beef, scientists explained.