Too much salt in vegan and vegetarian products. What a market survey by GIFT(Great Italian Food Trade) has already shown, finds confirmation on the other side of the world, in an Australian scientific study.(1)
A health attack, considering that excessive salt consumption-which in Europe is double the WHO-recommended threshold (5 g/day)-is associated with the prevalence of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of premature mortality worldwide. As ascertained by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), in its scientific opinion 26.2.08 on nutrient profiles. Excess sodium also promotes the onset of cancer and diabetes.
Excess salt in packaged foods for vegetarian and vegan diets. The Australian study
‘Meat alternative’ products mimic the appearance and sometimes even the taste of carnivore products. In many cases, these are ultra-processed foods, sometimes even using genetic engineering. Often presented with names reminiscent of those of meat (c.d.
meat sounding
), such as ‘hamburgers‘, ‘patties’, ‘hot-dogs‘, etc.
The original intentions of proponents of vegetarian and vegan lifestyles-promoting consumption that respects animal life, marked by the search for new dietary balances-have succumbed to fashion. And so, to the most aggressive and cunning industrial and trade policies. To the point of completely betraying, in most cases, the precepts of macrobiotics made world famous by George Oshawa. Which precisely preached a precise balance between different food groups, strictly organic, to be consumed in a raw or minimally processed state. The foods for vegetarians and vegans that now crowd the shelves are therefore, in not a few cases, loaded with food additives and especially salt.
The scientific study conducted in Australia measured sodium levels in meat-free foods on the market in 2019. And he compared it with levels recorded on the same product category since 2010. With the aim of assessing the consistency of these productions with the universally shared public health goal of drastically reducing dietary salt consumption. The targets set by the United Kingdom in 2017 and those set by the World Health Organization(WHO or WHO) were considered for this purpose. The latter of which, in 2006, established 5 grams per day as the maximum salt intake. A missed target, in Australia (where the average intake is 10.1 g/day in men, 7.3 g in women) as in Italy. And yet it was relaunched, in 2013, picking up the commitment of all member states-still unfulfilled-to reduce the population’s average salt intake by 30 percent by 2025.
Reducing salt can be done. Just choose the products on the shelf carefully
Australian researchers then demonstrate how reformulation of products (i.e., changing recipes), toward a better nutritional balance, is entirely possible. Indeed, comparison of similar products of different brands shows that there is an extraordinary gap in sodium/salt content. Some examples to follow.
– Tofu. A staple food in vegetarian and vegan diets, tofu has extremely variable sodium contents. Nutrisoy Tempeh Tasty contains 320 mg of sodium per 100g. More than 300 times more than TLY Lite Firm Tofu Silken Tofu, which contains just 1mg/100g of it. Significant differences are also found in flavored(flavoured) tofu. B J Sliced Garlic Tofu contains three times as much sodium as Nutrisoy Tofu Spicy (688mg versus 224, per 100g of product).
– Falafel
. The maximum amount found is 1260 mg/100g and is found in Monjay Mezza Traditional Falafel and Spinach Falafel. Just by switching brands, the sodium load can be reduced to less than a tenth. In Naturally‘s falafels, in fact, the sodium concentration plummets to 124mg/100g.
– Meat-free bacon
. In ‘pseudo-pancetta’ the difference in sodium concentration is less pronounced. However, it amounts to more than 200 mg between 924mg/100g of Vegie Delights Bacon Style Rashers and 712mg/100g of Quorn Bacon Style Pieces.
– Meat-free burger
. Even among vegetable ‘burgers’ one must choose carefully. The 682 mg/100g sodium of Fry’s Family Burgers Quinoa & Brown Rice Protein contains almost 6 times the sodium found in the Unreal Co. Italian Beefy Burger with Onion (119mg/100g).
– Meat-free sausages
. Vegie Delights Classic Hot Dogs ‘meatless sausages’ contain almost twice the sodium found in Syndian Cheezy Kale & Cashew Vegan Sausages (685mg versus 271 mg per 100g).
Mandatory adoption of the NutriScore on pre-packaged food labels-as demanded viva voce by European citizens-would save consumAtors from the difficulty in finding unbalanced foods due to excess salt. As well as stimulating manufacturing industries to improve the nutritional profiles of their foods, as in fact has already happened in France.
Word to the wise, few words!
Marta Strinati and Dario Dongo
Notes
(1) Salt levels in meat alternatives in Australia (2010-2019), Report prepared for the Vichealth Salt Partnership, by Emalie Rosewarne and Clare Farrand, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Population Salt Reduction, The George Institute for Global Health https://www.georgeinstitute.org.au/sites/default/files/meat_alternatives_key_findings_report.pdf
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
