Norwegian Office for Food Safety examined the content of plant-based dinner products and drinks
There is great interest in a vegetarian diet in the population, and this requires knowledge of plant products offered on the Norwegian market. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority analyzed 25 plant-based dinner products and drinks for nutrients and undesirable substances.
- More and more consumers want vegan or vegetarian meat alternatives and plant-based drinks as substitutes for meat and dairy products. So it is important to have information about the nutrients and undesirable substances in these products, says senior adviser Ellen Kielland of the Food Safety Authority of Norway.
More carbohydrates and less fat in dinner products
The analyzes showed that the vegetable meat alternatives had more carbohydrates in the form of starch and fiber than similar meat products. There was also, on average, more fat in meat products than in plant products. The protein content was quite similar. The source of protein from plant products were legumes, sunflower and wheat. The content of minerals such as iron, magnesium and calcium was higher in plant-based products. There was more zinc and selenium in the meat products. Plant foods did not contain vitamin B12.
Read our next article: The state must stop profiting from sport
Large variation in the content of nutrients in plant-based drinks
There was a large variation in the content of nutrients in plant-based drinks. First of all, depending on whether they were based on oats, soybeans, almonds or coconut and whether they were enriched. Some of the drinks tested contained vitamin B12, vitamin D and calcium. Plant-based drinks had almost no iodine, except for one of the fortified oat drinks. Soy-based drinks had the same amount of protein as cow's milk.
Few of the undesirable substances
There were few heavy metals and mycotoxins in vegetable food and drinks. Two of the vegetable burgers contained acrylamide and one burger was high in glycidyl esters (undesirable substances formed during oil refining). The Norwegian Food Safety Authority checks the arrangements with the responsible importer.
Food table updated
Project outcomes contributed to new nutritional values for plant-based dinner products and drinks. This also led to and the update of the regulations in the Food Table 2021 version. The analyzes will also provide the basis for calculating the intakes of various nutrients in plant-based food and drink products for individuals and population groups as part of national nutrition surveys.
About analyzes
The analysis project was carried out in 2021 by the Maritime Research Institute. Twenty-five plant-based lunch products and drinks with grocery stores in Norway analyzed for nutrients, heavy metals, process-induced substances and mycotoxins. The project provided analytical values. This included protein, fat, 45 fatty acids, ash, six sugars, starch, dietary fiber, 11 vitamins, 11 minerals and trace elements, four heavy metals, three process-induced substances and nine different mycotoxins for 16 plant-based lunch products and nine plant-based beverages .
Source: Norwegian Food Safety Authority (Mattilsynet)
Read our next article: Contract for Covid immunization in seven pharmacies in Stavanger
