The EU Court of Justice recently ruled that terms traditionally related to meat, such as “burger,” can also be used for plant-based products. The decision raised concerns about the possible confusion of consumers and the impact on the food market. However, the crucial question is the nutritional value of plant-based products and whether they can represent a complete alternative to meat. To answer this question, science provides information that can hardly be questioned. I like to take up the reflections of experts such as Elisabetta Bernardi, a biologist and nutritionist at the University of Bari. “Proteins, essential components for our body, cannot be accumulated as reserves, unlike fats or carbohydrates, and are found in muscles, enzymes, hormones and cellular structures. In the absence of adequate protein in the diet, the body is forced to activate a process called protein catabolism, which leads to the degradation of the muscles, including the heart, to obtain the necessary amino acids. This process involves a reduction in muscle mass, a decrease in strength and a series of metabolic complications”.

In a climate of demonization of meat and its derivatives, it is essential to know that a low-protein diet exposes you to nutritional risks. A diet with an insufficient protein intake is particularly dangerous during growth, aging and recovery from illness or after intense physical activity. Meat is a complete source of essential amino acids, essential for maintaining muscle mass, especially in the elderly. Those who follow a plant-based diet must be careful to compensate and provide all the essential amino acids in the right proportions. Those who choose to adopt vegetarian or vegan diets for children should be careful to carefully balance the intake of protein and other nutrients, with the help of supplements, if necessary. As for childhood, animal nutrients play a crucial role in supporting healthy growth.

That’s why you have to pay attention to slogans that say that plant alternatives can really replace meat. Plant-based products, such as vegetable burgers, have become popular not only among vegetarians, but also among omnivores and flexitarians. However, scientific evidence on their nutritional quality is still limited. Vegetable proteins have a very different structure from animal proteins. For example, in meat, proteins are fibrous and juicy, while vegetable proteins are spherical. To mimic the consistency of the meat, vegetable proteins are mixed, compressed and heated, sometimes even with the use of 3D printers.

As Elisabetta Bernardi still recalls, “a recent study showed that, despite the apparent similarities in the nutritional tables, plant-based products and meat differ in almost 90% of the metabolites. Nutrients such as ω-3, vitamin B3, glucosamine and specific antioxidants such as spermine are only found in meat. On the other hand, plant foods provide vitamin C, phytosterols and phenolic antioxidants, absent in the meat”.

Therefore, metabolic differences indicate that these products cannot be considered nutritionally interchangeable, but complementary. Each type of food offers different benefits, and it is not possible to completely replace the nutrients in meat with plant alternatives without risking shortages.