These "Healthy" Foods Are Sneakily High In Undesirable Additives
Plant-based eating has a reputation for being the "cleaner" choice. Swap the sausage for a plant-based one, trade dairy cheese for an oat-based version, and you're eating healthier, right? Not so fast.
In a new study, researchers directly compared animal based products and their plant-based alternatives1. And it suggests the "plant-based=cleaner" assumption may be worth revisiting.
About the study
Researchers wanted to understand how plant-based alternatives compare with animal-based products when it comes to ingredient complexity and additive use.
They selected a range of plant-based products from a UK supermarket and matched each one with a similar animal-based product, creating 71 product pairs. The categories included alternatives for foods like dairy, meat, and fish.
The researchers then analyzed ingredient lists, looking at:
- The number of food additives (such as emulsifiers, stabilizers, thickeners, and colorants)
- The number of other ingredients
- The total number of ingredients overall
Plant-based options often had far more additives
Plant-based products generally had more ingredients and more additives compared with their animal-based counterparts (including having longer ingredient list). The researchers identified 39 different food additives across plant-based products compared with 31 among animal-based products.
However, the gaps weren't evenly distributed across all product types. Savory sauces and condiments showed virtually no difference in additives between the two ranges. The biggest disparities were concentrated in dairy alternatives, meat and fish alternatives, and savory snacks and meals. This may be because plant-based products have to work hardest to replicate the taste, texture, and appearance of animal foods in these categories.
Why plant-based products need more additives
Recreating the taste, texture, and appearance of animal-based foods isn’t always simple. A plant-based burger needs to mimic the bite and structure of meat, while a dairy-free yogurt or cheese needs to deliver the creaminess consumers expect from traditional dairy.
For example, methyl cellulose and sodium alginate are additives frequently used in meat and fish alternatives because they are both commonly used to replicate the fibrous, chewy texture of animal proteins. In dairy alternatives, calcium carbonate appeared 11 times, giving products a white, creamy appearance and providing the calcium that dairy naturally contains. Carotenes (a natural food coloring) showed up in five alternative cheese products, likely to mimic the yellow hue of dairy cheese.
- Modified starch was one of the most frequently used additives overall.
- Carrageenan, a seaweed-derived thickener, appeared 9 times, particularly in alternative cheese products.
- Gellan gum was used 8 times in plant-based milks and dairy-style drinks for its gelling properties.
- Lactic acid appeared 11 times, primarily as an acidity regulator in dairy alternatives and sauces.
Does this mean plant-based swaps are unhealthy?
The researchers were explicit that a greater number of food additives does not mean a greater health risk.
What the study does highlight is a perception gap. Research cited in the paper suggests that longer ingredient lists and more food additives lead consumers to view plant-based products as more processed and less healthy, even when the additives themselves are approved and regulated. For shoppers who are drawn to plant-based eating partly because they believe it means fewer additives, the reality of the label may come as a surprise.
It's also worth noting that not all plant-based swaps are created equal. A growing body of research has begun to examine the specific health effects of heavily processed plant-based meat alternatives, separate from whole plant foods, which is a distinction the clean-label conversation often glosses over.
What to look for on the label
If you eat plant-based and want to minimize additive exposure, the category of product matters more than the "plant-based" label itself.
- Dairy, meat, and fish alternatives carry the most additives: These are the products that require the most formulation work to replicate animal foods, and the data reflects that. Oat milk, vegan cheese, plant-based sausages, and fish-free fish fingers are the categories to scrutinize most closely.
- Sauces and condiments are closer to parity: Plant-based mayonnaise and pesto showed little difference from their animal-based equivalents in this study. If you're looking for lower-additive plant-based options, this category is a safer bet.
- Focus on minimally processed plant-based foods: Legumes, grains, vegetables, tofu, and tempeh, don't require additives to hold together or taste like something else. The more a product is trying to replicate an animal food, the longer the ingredient list tends to be. If you're looking to boost your protein from whole plant sources, these foods are a good place to start.
- Know the common ones: Methyl cellulose, carrageenan, modified starch, and gellan gum are among the most frequently used additives in plant-based alternatives. Spotting them on a label doesn't mean the product is unsafe, but it does tell you something about how heavily processed it is.
The takeaway
The idea that plant-based automatically means cleaner or simpler doesn't hold up when you look at the labels. The more a product is engineered to taste like meat, dairy, or fish, the more additives it tends to contain. That's not a reason to avoid plant-based foods, but rather a reason to read the label the same way you would with any other packaged product. And remember, whole plant foods will always have the shortest ingredient lists. For everything else, a quick scan of the back of the pack is worth the extra few seconds.