Abstract
Objectives
Replacing meat by meat replacers could be an important strategy for achieving a more plant-based diet, however their current consumption is rather limited. The present modelling study therefore aimed to elucidate the role of meat replaces in healthier and more environmentally sustainable diets.
Methods
Using the observed diets from Denmark, Czech Republic, Italy and France (∼6500 adults), we created for each individual a replacement diets by replacing all the meat of the observed diet (in grams) by meat replacers. Starting from the observed diets and meat-replacement diets, diets with improved adherence to food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) were modeled using Data Envelopment analysis. These improved diets were then optimized for dietary preferences (Max P, diet similarity index), nutrient quality (Max H, Nutrient Rich Diet (NRD15.3)) or environmental sustainability (Max S, diet-related greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE)).
Results
In all modeled diets, for both men and women, the amount of meat was lower than in the observed diets, in particular around 30% lower in the Max P, 50% lower in the Max H, and 75% lower in the Max S diets. Moreover, when using fortified meat replacers, the amount of meat in the scenarios of Max P, Max H and Max S was lower than in the same scenarios without fortification. In the Max P diet, NRD15.3 was ∼6% higher, GHGE was ∼9% lower, and ∼83% of food intake remained similar. In the Max H diet, NRD15.3 was ∼17% higher, GHGE was ∼15% lower, and ∼66% of food intake remained similar. In the Max S diet, NRD15.3 was ∼9% higher, GHGE was ∼33% lower, and ∼65% of food intake remained similar.
Conclusions
Guided by FBDGs to improve diets, adopting meat replacers holds potential to achieve additional benefits on the environment, without necessarily compromising nutrient quality.
Funding Sources
This work was supported by TiFN under Project Agreement number 15SD01 (SHARP-BASIC).
Integrated strategic model for managing regional projects in the field of ecology
