Abstract
The nutritional quality of 132 plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs) and 242 plant-based dairy alternatives (PBDAs) in the Brazilian market was evaluated for nutritional content reported in the labeling. Added sugar, saturated fat, and sodium limits were also observed according to the new Brazilian front-of-pack labeling (FOPL). In general, PBMAs have a considerable content of protein, dietary fiber and reduced content of saturated fat and sodium, while PBDAs have a low Na content, a high content of total and saturated fat, but are poor in protein and dietary fiber. Regarding micronutrients, PBMAs can be considered a source of iron, and PBDAs are a source of calcium. For FOPL, 37% of PBDAs and 21% of PBMAs must have the descriptions “high in saturated fat” and “high in sodium”, respectively, on their labels. Therefore, the PBMAs and PBDAs available on the Brazilian market have great potential to contribute to a healthy diet, however, aspects such as the absorption of nutrients and their effects on health and the possibility of total or partial replacement of meat and dairy products should be considered in future investigations. In addition, the data presented are useful to assist consumers, food industries, and regulatory bodies.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Code availability
Not applicable.
References
Angelino D, Rosi A, Vici G et al (2020) Nutritional quality of plant-based drinks sold in italy: the food labelling of italian products (FLIP) study. Nutrients 9:1–14. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9050682
Bedin E, Torricelli C, Gigliano S et al (2018) Vegan foods: mimic meat products in the Italian market. Int J Gastron Food Sci 13:1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgfs.2018.04.003
Boukid F (2021) Plant-based meat analogues: from niche to mainstream. Eur Food Res Technol 247:297–308. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-020-03630-9
Brasil (1998) Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância Sanitária. Portaria no 1002, De dezembro de 1998. Listar os produtos, comercializados no país, enquadrando-os nas Sub-categorias que fazem parte da categoria 8—Carnes e Produtos Cárneos. In: Diário Of. da Repub. Fed. do Bras. https://bvsms.saude.gov.br/bvs/saudelegis/svs1/1998/prt1002_11_12_1998.html. Accessed 21 Jul 2023
Brasil (2020a) Ministério da Saúde. Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária. IN No 75, De 8 de outubro de 2020. Estabelece os requisitos técnicos para declaração da rotulagem nutricional nos alimentos embalados. In: Diário Of. da Repub. Fed. do Bras. https://www.in.gov.br/en/web/dou/-/instrucao-normativa-in-n-75-de-8-de-outubro-de-2020-282071143. Accessed 15 May 2021
Brasil (2020b) Ministério da Saúde. Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária. RDC No 429, De 8 de outubro de 2020. Dispõe sobre a rotulagem nutricional dos alimentos embalados. In: Diário Of. da Repub. Fed. do Bras. https://www.in.gov.br/en/web/dou/-/resolucao-de-diretoria-colegiada-rdc-n-429-de-8-de-outubro-de-2020-282070599. Accessed 15 May 2021
Brasil (2023) Ministério da Agricultura e Pecuária. Secretaria de Defesa Agropecuária. Portaria No 831, De 28 de junho de 2023. Portaria para estabelecer os requisitos mínimos de identidade e qualidade para produtos análogos de base vegetal, a identidade visual e as re. In: Diário Of. da Repub. Fed. do Bras. https://www.in.gov.br/en/web/dou/-/portaria-sda/mapa-n-831-de-28-de-junho-de-2023-493518856. Accessed 19 Jul 2023
Bryngelsson S, Moshtaghian H, Bianchi M (2022) Nutritional assessment of plant-based meat analogues on the Swedish market. Int J Food Sci Nutr 73:889–901. https://doi.org/10.1080/09637486.2022.2078286
Chalupa-Krebzdak S, Long CJ, Bohrer BM (2018) Nutrient density and nutritional value of milk and plant-based milk alternatives. Int Dairy J 87:84–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.IDAIRYJ.2018.07.018
Crosbie E, Gomes FS, Olvera J et al (2022) Health Policy A policy study on front-of-pack nutrition labeling in the Americas: emerging developments and outcomes. Lancet Reg Heal Am. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lana.2022.100400
Curtain F, Grafenauer S (2019) Plant-based meat substitutes in the flexitarian age: an audit of products on supermarket shelves. Nutrients 11:14. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11112603
Cutroneo S, Angelino D, Tedeschi T et al (2022) Nutritional quality of meat analogues: results from the Food labelling of Italian products (FLIP) project. Front Nutr 9:1–12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.852831
Fresán U, Rippin H (2021) Nutritional quality of plant-based cheese available in spanish supermarkets: How do they compare to dairy cheese? Nutrients 13:1–10. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13093291
Godfray HCJ, Aveyard P, Garnett T et al (2018) Meat consumption, health, and the environment. Science 361:1–8. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aam5324
Grahl S, Palanisamy M, Strack M et al (2018) Towards more sustainable meat alternatives: how technical parameters affect the sensory properties of extrusion products derived from soy and algae. J Clean Prod 198:962–971. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.07.041
Grand View Research (2022) Plant-based Meat Market Size & Share Report, 2022–2030. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/plant-based-meat-market. Accessed 16 Nov 2022
He J, Liu H, Balamurugan S, Shao S (2021) Fatty acids and volatile flavor compounds in commercial plant-based burgers. J Food Sci 86:293–305. https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-3841.15594
IMARC Group (2022) Meat Market: Global industry trends, share, size, growth, opportunity and forecast 2022–2027. In: IMARC Gr. https://www.imarcgroup.com/meat-market. Accessed 26 Jan 2022
Leroy F, Cofnas N (2019) Should dietary guidelines recommend low red meat intake? Should dietary guidelines recommend low red meat intake? Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 60:2763–2772. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2019.1657063
Monteiro CA, Cannon G, Lawrence M, et al (2019) Ultra-processed foods, diet quality, and health using the NOVA classification system. In: FAO/WHO Expert Consult. https://www.fao.org/3/ca5644en/ca5644en.pdf. Accessed 4 Apr 2023
PAHO (2016) Pan American Health Organization Nutrient Profile Model. In: Pan Am. Heal. Organ. http://iris.paho.org/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/18621/9789275118733_eng.pdf. Accessed 21 Jul 2023
Precedence Research (2022a) Dairy Products Market—Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, Regional Outlook, and Forecast 2022 - 2030. https://www.precedenceresearch.com/dairy-products-market. Accessed 16 Nov 2022
Precedence Research (2022b) Dairy Alternatives Market—Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, Regional Outlook, and Forecast 2022–2030. https://www.precedenceresearch.com/dairy-alternatives-market. Accessed 16 Nov 2022
Safefood (2021) Vegetarian meat substitutes: products available in supermarkets on the island of Ireland and consumer behaviours and perceptions. In: Safefood. https://www.safefood.net/research-reports/vegetarian-meat-alternatives. Accessed 31 Jan 2022
Scholz-Ahrens KE, Ahrens F, Barth CA (2020) Nutritional and health attributes of milk and milk imitations. Eur J Nutr 59:19–34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-019-01936-3
Serdaroglu M, Len Yıldız-Turp G, Abrodímov K (2005) Quality of low-fat meatballs containing Legume flours as extenders. Meat Sci 70:99–105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2004.12.015
Sethi S, Tyagi SK, Anurag RK (2016) Plant-based milk alternatives an emerging segment of functional beverages: a review. J Food Sci Technol 53:3408–3423. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-016-2328-3
Sha L, Xiong YL (2020) Plant protein-based alternatives of reconstructed meat: science, technology, and challenges. Trends Food Sci Technol 102:51–61
SVB (2022) Selo Vegano. In: Soc. Veg. Bras. https://svb.org.br/selovegano/. Accessed 27 Jan 2022
USDA (2022) Livestock and poultry: world markets and trade. In: United States Dep. Agric. Foreign Agric. Serv. http://apps.fas.usda.gov/psdonline/circulars/livestock_poultry.PDF. Accessed 31 Jan 2022
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) grant number 133931/2020-0, the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) grant number 2022/03268-3, and the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil (CAPES) code 001, for the financial support.
Funding
The authors have not disclosed any funding.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
GML Conceptualization, methodology, formal analysis, preparation, review and editing of the manuscript; ACCS formal analysis, preparation of the manuscript; VFMN formal analysis, preparation of the manuscript; JALP preparation, review and editing of the manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Ethical approval
Not applicable.
Consent to participate
Not applicable.
Consent for publication
Not applicable.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary Information
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Luz, G.M., Costa-Santos, A.C., Moraes-Neto, V.F. et al. Nutritional quality of plant-based meat and dairy alternatives, and new front-of-package labeling (FOPL) in Brazil. J Food Sci Technol 61, 928–938 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-023-05887-w
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-023-05887-w