Nutritional quality of plant-based cheeses

If it looks and tastes like cheese and melts like cheese, then it must be cheese. Well, there is more than just the physical, functional and sensory properties to consider. While consumers want a product with these characteristics, they should not be indifferent to the nutritional profile of plant-based cheeses, especially when feeding children. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of the nutritional value of 245 plant-based cheeses in US, using data from their nutrition labels. The vegan cheeses are dominated by coconut oil, resulting in cheese products containing zero to very low protein levels, and high in saturated fat. Very few cheeses are fortified with vitamin D and B12, and less than 20% have any calcium fortification. These 3 nutrients are critical for vegans. Without fortification, very few of the plant-based cheeses could be considered a good nutritional replacement for dairy cheese. Furthermore, there is a need for more plant-based cheese options made from soy and other legumes. Regarding the top 7 companies representing almost one-half the market share of vegan cheeses, none of their products had either vitamin D fortification or at least 5 g of protein per serving, and only 1 in 3 had any calcium fortification. There is clearly a need for plant-based cheeses with a better nutritional content.