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By their very nature, plant-based meats are ultraprocessed, an increasingly dirty word to many people, including members of the “Make America Healthy Again” movement. To mimic the fibrous structure of meat, faux versions may undergo 3D printing, extreme heat and cold manipulations and extrusion processes similar to those applied to ultraprocessed foods.

Alternative meats also contain natural and artificial additives such as binders, emulsifiers, dyes, flavorings, stabilizers and preservatives. The Impossible Burger, for example, uses a genetically modified organism, or GMO, to create heme, a molecule that recreates the red color and bleeding typical of beef.

Proponents of plant-based meat, however, say these alternatives don’t meet the typical characteristics of ultraprocessed foods, nor do they mimic the health harms. Experts say several of the top companies, such as Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, have improved the nutritional quality of their products since they were first introduced. The Beyond Burger, for example, is now on version 4.0, the company said.

“The conversation needs to significantly change when it comes to ultraprocessed foods because they’re never going to go away — people want easy and convenient food,” said Joy Bauer, a registered dietitian who consults for Beyond Meat,

“We need to get to a place where we start to rate ultraprocessed foods because there are some that are super healthy and can help people move in positive directions within their lives,” Bauer said.

The issue of salt and saturated fat
Plant-based meats also struggle due to their traditionally high levels of salt and saturated fat — both leading players in developing heart disease, the No. 1 killer worldwide.

A 2019 CNN analysis found Beyond and Impossible burgers at the time had a similar saturated fat profile as beef from cows: Beyond had 6 grams of saturated fat; Impossible had 8 grams of fat (due to coconut oil), and a beef burger had 9 grams of fat. In comparison, a store-bought turkey burger had 4 to 5 grams, while a typical grain-based veggie burger had only 1 gram of saturated fat.

Saturated fat can create plaques that clog arteries, leading to future heart attacks and strokes, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.