Plant-based foods in Australian supermarkets face scepticism over nutritional credentials

Over 700 plant-based foods have been observed to contain variations of sodium.

Plant-based foods and products from Australian supermarkets have been questioned over their nutritional credentials, particularly sodium content, according to analytics company GlobalData.

In a new study, over 700 plant-based foods have been examined for their health halo and found large variations of sodium beyond their nutritional value.

Even with consumers growing reliant on plant-based food alternatives for healthier choices, they also remain conscious of health factors, like fat and salt content, compared to their plant-based formulations.

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“The rise of plant-based foods has, in large part, been driven by assumptions that they are more nutritious than animal-based products. The results of this and similar studies are likely to cause consumers to re-evaluate their attitudes towards plant-based foods and look more closely at nutritional specifics,” Katrina Diamonon, principal analyst at GlobalData, said.

In particular, Australian consumers tend to relate healthy lifestyles with low-salt products rather than plant-based products, bringing the urgency for plant-based formulations amongst retailers to meet consumer nutritional needs and expectations.

“Ultimately, the onus is on the food industry to offer increased transparency with regards to the nutritional quality of plant-based foods and take greater efforts to formulate products in line with government-issued salt reduction targets,” Diamonon added.