Plant-Based Meat-Alternatives And Their “Health Halo”

Gary C. Smith, Colorado State University

By 2019, the “protein trend” was white hot and showed no sign of cooling. It was said that plant-based meat-alternatives (PBMAs) had a “health halo”.¹ PBMAs with protein claims were growing at 9% per year – 3 times higher than total US Grocery. ¹ Consumer interest in protein surpassed that of interest in fat, and despite the fact that animal-based food emphasis had been on protein for decades, “Protein From Plant Sources” was ranked as the 3^rd “healthiest” ingredient in food while “Protein From Animal Sources” ranked 10^th.² Two-thirds of shoppers looked for “better-for-me” options when buying meat and poultry; but – even with the nation’s protein craze – only 0.2% of meat and poultry carried protein claims.³ In 2018, 96% of consumers surveyed attributed their motivation for PBMAs to the “overall health halo” of such products.⁴

Early on, PMBA manufacturers didn’t claim their products had “more protein” or “higher-quality protein” because they knew that was not true. But – somehow – large numbers of consumers believed one or both of those things. PBMA makers did claim “healthier” and “more nutritious” because they knew there was no official definition for those terms. When PBMAs first entered commerce, they were criticized for having fewer grams of protein per serving. For example, Beyond Beef® was called out for having “less protein”⁵ and “50% less protein”⁶ than a beef burger. Later that year, Beyond Burger® launched a new formulation with the claims: (a) Our blend of mung bean, pea, and rice proteins makes it a complete protein source; (b) Our patty offers 20 grams of protein; and (c) Our product now qualifies as a “complete protein” with all of the essential amino acids.⁷ The nine essential amino acids are: (1) Phenylalanine, (2) Valine, (3) Threonine, (4) Tryptophan, (5) Isoleucine, (6) Methionine, (7) Histidine, (8) Leucine, and (9) Lysine.⁸

A comparison of real (80% lean) beef burger, Impossible Burger®, and Beyond Burger® found Grams of Protein to be 19, 19, and 20, respectively, and ended with the conclusion, “If you’re choosing one of these burgers on the basis of protein content you might rethink your decision.”⁹ A comparison found Grams of Protein to be 25 for the Impossible Whopper® vs. 28 for a genuine beef (85% lean) burger.¹⁰ Seems pretty equal, only 11% less protein in the Impossible Whopper®, but not all proteins are created equal.¹⁰ In ground beef, the rate-limiting amino acid is tryptophan (at 79% of the required level); in the Impossible Whopper®, the rate-limiting amino acid is methionine (at 41% of the required level)¹⁰ So, Usable Grams of Protein was 22 for ground beef and 10 for the Impossible Whopper® patty.¹⁰

People who are presently focused on consuming exclusively plant-based foods should be aware of their deficiencies in proline and hydroxyproline.¹¹ Those two amino acids, found in the structural connective-tissue proteins (i.e., collagen and elastin) of meat, are essential for the health of intestines, joints, and skin of humans. Nutrition Coalition quoted American Heart Association as saying, “People choosing alt-meats should be careful to compensate for the loss of nutrients.”¹² That goes double for people moving away from animal products entirely; if they’re not having meat, eggs, or dairy products, they might not get enough Grams of Protein (men need 56, women need 46, grams daily – and, again, not all proteins are created equal).¹²  A perfectly balanced and nutritionally complete meal has all 9 essential amino acids, and all 27 essential vitamins and minerals; unlike meat, eggs, and milk, individual plant proteins do not contain all of the indispensable amino acids.¹³

Power Of Meat 2020 reported: (a) 95% of people eat meat but only 64% think it has a role in a healthy diet.¹⁴ (b) interest in PBMAs is driven by perceptions about health.¹⁴ (c) 5% are considering elimination, while 28% are actively reducing, meat in their diet next year.¹⁵ (d) 50% of regular eaters of PBMAs believe it is healthy; 36% of them believe it is a good source of protein.¹⁵ Meatingplace found it strange that another survey said 56% of people were likely to eat one meat-free meal per week “to improve their personal health” in light of the fact that research shows that the nutrition in PBMAs is typically not better than the meat it replaces.¹⁶ The Good Food Institute (comprised of PBMA-manufacturers) claims PBMAs are more nutritious and more healthful than animal-derived foods.¹⁷ An article in Dairy Processing claims, “Plant-based foods are bringing more nutrient-density than the original animal-based analogs.”¹⁸ 

Consumer surveys have reported: (a) 83% of consumers believe that PBMAs are healthier than meat; 46% said nutrition was the top driver for consumption of PBMAs; and “high protein” was the most important attribute of PBMAs.¹⁹ (b) Protein Content was the highest ranked nutritional trait among PBMA purchase drivers.²⁰ (c) 71% of consumers claim they plan to eat healthier in the future; 49% of US consumers say they’re going to “eat healthier” by consuming PBMAs.²¹  (d) More than 50% of consumers believe that PBMAs are “better for my health”.²² 

Why do so many people believe that PBMAs are more healthful and more nutritious than animal-based foods? Consumers believe the Nutrition Facts panel on a label is more important in determining “healthfulness” than is the Ingredient List. Side-by-side, looking at Nutrition Facts, 45% of consumers believe PBMAs are at least somewhat healthier than real beef.²³ Many consumers look solely at Grams Of Protein rather than Daily Value to determine the protein content of foods.^{8, 21} Most protein from plants is “incomplete” (i.e., doesn’t provide all of the essential amino acids); plus, protein from plant sources isn’t as readily absorbed. Daily Value takes both factors into account.²¹ While plant-based foods do contain protein, you typically must eat much larger amounts of plant-based foods to get the amounts of amino acids your body needs.²¹   

Nutrition Facts on PBMAs and genuine beef may appear to be equivalent but a recent study by Duke University shows they’re as different as plants and animals. Using metabolomics, scientists found that beef contained 22 metabolites that PBMA did not; the greatest distinctions occurred in amino acids, dipeptides, vitamins, phenols, and types of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids.²⁴ 

Back to the “Health Halo”. The Hartman Group was commissioned by PBMA manufacturers to flesh-out components of “The Halo Around The Term, Plant-Based”. In all fairness, the result was: The halo around the plant-based term draws its strength from its relevance to four key motivations that guide consumers’ eating choices: (1) Health and Wellness, (2) Taste and Discovery, (3) Cost and Convenience, (4) Ethics and Beliefs.²⁵ They never mentioned protein as they discussed Health and Wellness; they realize that Daily Value and digestibility of protein is a major Achilles heel for PBMAs. 

References:

1. Nunes, Keith. 2019. Meat + Poultry. June 18 Issue.
2. IFIC. 2019. November Edition.
3. Power Of Meat. 2019. Annual Meat Conference. February 26 Issue. 
4. Dupont Nutrition & Health. 2018. September Edition.
5. Atuan, George. 2019. Redflox Capital. July Edition.
6. Berman, Richard. 2019. The Washington Times. July 30 Issue.
7. Feedstuffs. 2019. March 6 Issue.
8.  Berg, Eric. 2021. AMSA Newsletter. June 28 Issue. 
9. Dryer, Lisa. 2019. CNN. August 9 Issue.
10. Strangle, James. 2019. Tri-State Livestock News. December 20 Issue. 
11. Newsmax. 2019. July Edition.
12. Nutrition Coalition. 2019. September 25 Issue.
13. Boisseau, Anna. 2019. Dairy Foods. October 8 Issue. 
14. Thompson-Weeman, Hannah. 2020. Animal Agriculture Alliance. March 10 Issue.
15. Roerink, Ann Marie. 2020. Meat + Poultry. March 18 Issue.
16. Meatingplace. 2020. February Edition.
17. Tubb, C. and T. Seba. 2020. The Rethink X Project. September Edition.
18. Danley, Sam. 2021. Dairy Processing. June 1 Issue. 
19. Gelski, Jeff. 2019. Meat + Poultry. November 20 Issue. 
20. Kuhn, Mary Ellen. 2020. Food Technology. March Edition.
21. Amstein, Danette. 2020. Meatingplace. January 1 Issue. 
22. Angus Beef Bulletin Extra. 2020. February 20 Issue. 
23. Sollid, Kris. 2020. Food Technology. December Edition.
24. Gibson, Kate. 2021. Meatingplace. July 8 Issue.
25. Hartman Group. 2019. Food & Technology. December Edition.