Nutritional facts
Perhaps the most surprising thing about the new plant-based burgers is that you can forget that you are not eating meat. Does that necessarily make them healthy for you? It’s still a burger. Strip out the bun, mayo, ketchup, onions and the nutritional information for the burger alone can be read in different ways. Protein, iron, vitamin content is designed to match their meat counterparts.
But, because both the Beyond and Impossible burgers contain refined oils such as coconut, sunflower or canola oil, they are as high in total and saturated fats. However, plant-based burgers are cholesterol-free, whereas beef burgers typically contain around 80 mg of cholesterol in a 4 oz. patty.
Plant-based burgers are higher in sodium
For those seeking to reduce sodium in their diet, both Beyond Meat and Impossible burgers have around four times the sodium content compared to a 100% beef patty with no added ingredients. When the bun and the standard toppings are added in, the total sodium content for a plant-based burger at, for example, A&W rises to 1100 mg, which represents three-quarters of Health Canada’s recommended daily intake of 1500 mg.
GMO ingredients?
The inclusion of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is emotive for an increasing number of consumers. A study conducted by the Hartman group in 2007 showed that around 15% of US consumers surveyed claimed they actively avoid GMO foods, this figure has continued to grow to 46% by 2018. The Beyond Meat’s patty is GMO free, whereas Impossible Foods states on their website that two of their ingredients, heme and the soy protein used are genetically modified from U.S. based farms in Iowa.
With a proposed introduction in US legislation for food containing GMO ingredients to be labelled as such, starting in 2020, and with compliance mandatory by 2022, it will be interesting to see what impact this has on future product make-up for plant-based manufacturers. There is no mandatory labeling of GMO foods in Canada, although it is supposed by a large majority of the population.
Personal health versus planetary?
Many nutritional experts are questioning whether a plant-based burger is healthier for the individual compared to it’s meat based alternative. They point to the fact that these new style burgers are heavily processed and contain around 20 ingredients compared to single ingredient in a 100% beef patty. However, against a backdrop that we all should be consuming less red meat, it can be argued that such products act as a gateway to encourage meat-eating consumers to vary their diet and to try vegetarian alternatives.
Savvy consumers might be wondering why the commonly used description – ‘veggie burger’ for these types of products has gone the way of the dinosaurs. Or just clever marketing?
The use of term ‘plant-based’ is for a reason.
A Beyond Meat or an Impossible Burger doesn’t contribute to your daily serving of fruit of vegetables. These burgers have been based to mimic the taste and texture of beef, not to get us to eat more of the green stuff.
Despite the lack of hard and fast evidence (unsurprisingly for a new product) that plant-based meats are healthier for the individual, research does support the claims that the plant-based product is better for the environment.
According to a study commissioned by Beyond Meat with the Center for Sustainable Systems at the University of Michigan, a plant-based burger generates:
- 90% less greenhouse gas emissions
- Requires 45% less energy
- 99% less impact on water scarcity
- 93% less impact on land use than a ¼ pound of traditional U.S. beef
In summary, should we have any ‘beef’ with plant-based burgers? The answer is probably not. The reality is that most North Americans are eating almost double the USDA’s nutritional guidelines for red meat and poultry consumption, so a move to a wider diet that includes burgers made from plants appears to be better for the environment. Any possible impact on human health, will depend significantly on how this new meatless protein category develops next, particularly for cooking in the home.
