Vegan calorie bombs: consumer center criticizes yoghurt alternatives

Created: 12/23/2022, 5:19 p.m

By: Jannis Gogolin

More and more vegan foods are crowding the supermarket shelves.

But the alternative products are only conditionally healthier than their animal counterparts.

Rostock – The vegan lifestyle has now arrived in every supermarket.

Vegan minced meat, oat milk or cheese without animal origin is no longer a niche product.

The supermarket chain REWE already has a deli counter exclusively for vegan alternatives to sausage and meat.

But when it comes to nutrients, non-animal foods are sometimes deficient.

Additives and a lot of fat: consumer center criticizes vegan products with milk alternatives

There is now a vegan equivalent for almost every classic dairy product.

In addition to the conventional products, yoghurt made from oats, coconut or almonds can also be found in the refrigerated shelves.

Practical not only for vegans, but also for people who have lactose intolerance or intolerance and have to avoid dairy products.

Those affected can also enjoy a vegan Christmas stollen without any worries.

One argument for the vegan lifestyle, in addition to reducing animal suffering, is personal health.

However, according to the consumer center Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, it is a misconception that animal-free foods are generally healthier.

Because in order to be able to produce coconut or oat yoghurts that are comparably creamy and tasty, the manufacturers resort to less healthy ingredients.

In a nutrient comparison, vegan products do not perform any better than their animal relatives.

Vegan foods: No milk - no minerals and vitamins

In the vegan yoghurt variants, locust bean gum and guar gum or pectins are often on the list of ingredients.

As thickeners or stabilizers, they ensure the right consistency and good taste.

In an examination of 34 random samples, it was noticed that only five of the varieties analyzed managed without additives.

The coconut variants in particular also have a very high fat content - 12 grams per 100 grams of content.

Vitamins and minerals, on the other hand, are scarce in the alternatives.

Calcium, a natural component of cow's milk, is contained in only four products, while only two manufacturers have enriched their yoghurt with vitamin B12 - of which milk also has a natural occurrence.

Alternative ice cream without cow's milk: labeling and packaging can be expanded

Another deficiency that the Bavarian consumer advice center complained about: the labeling of the milk alternative.

In the course of an analysis of vegan ice cream this summer, only half of the products revealed what is contained instead of cow's milk.

In addition, the Nutri-Score, an aid to the nutritional value of the products, was only visible in four of the 34 types of ice cream tested.