Healthiness of Meat-Based Products in Comparison to Their Plant-Based Alternatives in the UK Market: A Packaging Evaluation

Abstract

This study evaluated the healthiness of meat products (n = 62) and their plant-based (PB) counterparts (n = 62) available in the UK market. Back-of-pack (BoP) and front-of-pack (FoP) nutrition label information, nutrition and health claims, and nutrient profiling model scores were compared. BoP labels revealed that meat products had higher protein, fat, and saturated fat content (p = 0.029), whilst PB alternatives were higher in dietary fibre and carbohydrates (p p = 0.005), suggesting that these products corresponded to less healthy options. Therefore, PB alternatives can be considered as healthier substitutes for meat products.

Keywords

• plant-based foods
• meat products
• front of pack
• back of pack
• nutritional profiling
• healthiness