Plant-based foods pack twice the additives of animal products, study finds

A new study has revealed that plant-based products contain twice as many food additives as their animal-based equivalents. Researchers examined 71 matched pairs of items from a UK supermarket, uncovering significant differences in ingredients and additives. The team from the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in London compared the compositions of both product types. Plant-based items had a total of 1,566 ingredients, while animal-based ones listed 1,110. The gap was widest in dairy, meat, and fish replacements.

The study counted 199 additives in plant-based products, nearly double the 100 found in animal-based alternatives. E-numbers were also more common in the plant-based range, with 39 compared to 31 in the animal-based set.

The research, published in Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A, noted the growing popularity of plant-based diets in the UK, US, and Flanders. However, its scope was limited to a single supermarket’s product range. The findings highlight the higher additive content in plant-based foods. The authors called for further studies to test other product ranges and assess processing levels. This could provide a clearer picture of the nutritional differences between the two categories.