Nutritional quality and price of plant‐based dairy and meat analogs in the Canadian food supply system

Abstract

There has been an increased consumer interest and public health emphasis on plant‐based protein foods, resulting in a rise in the availability of highly processed plant‐based analogs. The objectives of this study were to assess the nutritional quality and the price of plant‐based dairy and meat analogs compared to their respective animal‐derived products and to examine the association between processing levels and the nutritional quality among these products. Using a branded food composition database, products in cheese, yogurt, milk, and meat categories were examined (n = 3231). Products were categorized as plant‐based analogs versus animal‐derived products using the ingredient list. Products were examined for their nutrient content, overall nutritional quality using the Food Standards Australia New Zealand nutrient profiling model, price, and processing levels using the NOVA classification. All plant‐based analogs had lower protein and higher total carbohydrate, sugar, and fiber content compared to their respective animal‐derived products. Compared to their respective animal‐derived products, plant‐based milk and meat analogs had lower energy, total fat, and saturated fat content; plant‐based yogurt and meat analogs had lower sodium content; and all plant‐based dairy analogs had lower calcium content. Plant‐based cheese and yogurt analogs were more expensive than animal‐based products; however, there was no significant difference among milk and meat products. There was no association between processing levels and overall nutritional quality among dairy and meat products. Plant‐based analogs may be part of a healthy and affordable diet to reduce the intakes of nutrients of concern; however, additional compositional guidelines and/or labeling may be needed to highlight the differences in the levels of nutrients to encourage.

Availability and properties of commercially produced food products offered in European public universities: A North–South comparison

“…At both universities, there was from none to fair agreement between the NOVA classification and the three NPMs combined. This result agrees with that of Lee et al (2023), and it is probably because although ultra-processed foods are usually characterized by a high content of sugar, salt, and/or fats, these contents do not always exceed the limits of the NPMs. In any case, ultra-processed foods had, in general, a worse nutrient profile than less-processed foods (Luiten et al, 2016).…”

Egy hús- és hentesáru üzlet választásának értékelő elemzése, különösen az ár mint befolyásoló tényező és az ár-észlelés tükrében

“…Az ár vásárlói magatartásban játszott szerepét számos árucsoportban vizsgálták, például: likőr (Dawes, 2023), biorizs (Kusno et al, 2021) és üdítőital (Solomon et al, 2018. Az általunk választott árucsoport, hús vásárláskor az ár befolyásoló szerepének vizsgálatát Kanadában folytattak (Lee et al, 2023).…”