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Defining “plant-based meats”

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 78, pages 72–73 (2024)Cite this article

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There is currently no consensus on the use of the term “plant-based”. For example, Storz in this journal comments that the term “plant-based diet” is a concern since it risks causing “confusion and ambiguity among researchers, clinicians and the general public” [1]. Similarly, Hargreaves et al. discuss whether or not a “plant-based diet” could include small amounts of meat and ultra-processed foods (UPFs) [2].

As well as in relation to diets, “plant-based” is also widely used in the term “plant-based meats” when referring to UPFs that are designed to resemble animal meats. Here too there is cause for concern since the term plant-based meats may confuse consumers into assuming these products have the health benefits of plant foods, even though there is no evidence for this. Hence the question arises whether the term “plant-based meat” should be retained or whether another term can describe these products more appropriately.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Life Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Herts, AL10 9AB, UK

    Richard Hoffman

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  1. Richard Hoffman
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RH conceived, designed and wrote the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Richard Hoffman.

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The author declares no competing interests.

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No ethical approval was require since this study did not involve human experiments.

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Hoffman, R. Defining “plant-based meats”. Eur J Clin Nutr 78, 72–73 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-023-01340-5

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