Alternatives to Animal Proteins

There are many alternatives to the animal protein found in meat, fish, eggs and dairy. Pulses, for example, are high in protein and have been around for centuries but more recently, products have been derived from fungi and others are now being developed by food-technology companies, such as cultured meat, grown in a laboratory.

Their popularity is likely to blossom because of concerns about the negative effects meat and dairy have on health, animal welfare, the environment and sustainability. But can these novel proteins answer our dietary needs and if so, which ones are best, animal proteins or plant-based alternatives?

Vegans didn’t invent alternative proteins; people have been eating them for centuries. Tofu from China, for example, is made by mixing soya milk with a coagulant such as calcium sulphate, while tempeh from Indonesia, is fermented soya beancake. Cooked wheat gluten, today known as seitan, has also been used in China for many centuries and is obtained by washing the starch from wheat flour, leaving the insoluble gluten, which is rich in protein.

The idea that animal protein is superior is deeply flawed on many levels. All plant foods, except extracts like sugar and oil, contain protein and if you eat enough calories in a varied vegan diet, you will likely get enough protein. Of course, some foods are better sources than others, but you don’t need to worry about consuming ‘complete proteins’ and you can ignore the old claim that you need to combine different proteins to obtain them – that idea is as outdated as the ark. Just make sure your diet contains plenty of peas, beans, lentils, tofu and wholegrain foods, plus a moderate amount of nuts and seeds.

The history of alternative proteins

The first references to alternative proteins in the UK date back to Victorian England when a sizeable vegetarian movement emerged. Their idea was to eat a wholesome, simple diet and encourage people to try meat alternatives, hence the arrival of veggie sausages, steaks and the nut cutlet.

With a similar purist approach, in the early 1900s, American Seventh-Day Adventist John Harvey Kellogg set up a company selling “a vegetable substitute for meat” made from ground nuts, grains and wheat gluten. Around that time in the UK, the health reform movement was promoting similar foods. These movements paved the way in later years for alternative proteins to be more widely recognised by others as healthier and sustainable alternatives to meat, fish, eggs and dairy.

In the 1960s, food producers began developing soya products, such as textured vegetable protein (TVP), made from defatted soya flour. Dried TVP mince, or larger chunks, could be rehydrated and cooked in all manner of meals and so this low-fat, high-protein, inexpensive food became a mainstay for vegetarians and vegans.

In 1981, Cauldron Foods became one of the first tofu manufacturers in the UK and is now regarded as a ‘heritage producer’ and is still making this low-fat, high-protein food. Most supermarkets now sell a range of tofu from different producers, including firm, organic, silken, smoked and marinated. Taifun Tofu, founded in Germany in 1987, make delicious smoked tofu with almonds and sesame seeds and tofu Basilico, with Mediterranean herbs – you can eat these straight out of the packet!

In the 1980s, British scientists, searching for a sustainable alternative protein that could help combat both the climate crisis and food insecurity, found a micro fungus that could grow into long, thread-like cells, forming a fibrous protein-rich meat alternative. In 1985, mycoprotein was launched under the brand name Quorn. Their products have since improved over time and many are now suitable for vegans. Although often referred to on menus as ‘plant-based’, this definition of mycoprotein isn’t accurate as mushrooms and other fungi belong in a separate classification to plants – but best not to argue the point when eating out!

In 1991, animal rights activist and photographer Linda McCartney formed Linda McCartney Foods, which soon became a meat-free market leader and is still prominent today among other well-known brands such as THIS, Beyond Meat, the Vegetarian Butcher, Fry Family Foods and of course, Viva! patron Heather Mills’ vegan company, VBites. The market has become flooded with meat-free sausages, burgers, steaks, hot dogs, schnitzels, goujons ‘fish’ fingers and just about anything else you can think of and most have a similar protein content to their meaty equivalents.

Plant-based milks and vegan cheeses have experienced a similar boom in sales and while most plant milks contain some protein, only soya contains a comparable amount to cow’s milk. Vegan cheeses are more variable, with those made from coconut oil and starch containing little protein while those made from nuts often contain more than dairy cheese.

New arrivals

Other recent arrivals include jackfruit, which is great for vegan pulled pork, and banana blossom, which makes a good alternative to fish in batter. Although both have a much lower environmental impact than meat and fish, neither is a particularly good source of protein.

The next step in this rapidly evolving market is 3D-printed meat and cultured meat – they are already here just not yet widely available. Vegans are not the target for these products as they are made from meat cells! However, their environmental footprint is a fraction of that of animal protein so they are a win in that sense plus, of course, no animal dies in their production.

Meat industry on the back foot

There has been some pushback questioning the health benefits of highly processed alternative proteins, mostly driven by the meat industry, with some journalists suggesting that animal protein is a healthier option. Some scientists have called for manufacturers to improve the nutritional profile of protein alternatives but they all acknowledge the health benefits of a wholefood vegan diet – packed with fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, pulses, nuts and seeds.

That said, a study published in the journal Food found that despite being processed, plant-based mince, burgers, sausages and meatballs from one UK producer, made positive changes in the gut bacteria of those who ate them four times a week for four weeks, compared to meat-eaters. This may be due to the fibre and plant compounds found only in plant-based foods.

Importantly, plant-based alternative proteins don’t contain many of the pro-inflammatory compounds found in meat, nor the cancer-causing chemicals and hormones. It pays to remember that the World Health Organisation says that red meat probably causes cancer and processed meat – sausages, hot dogs, bacon and ham etc – do cause it.

If you believe everything you read, you’ll be thinking the vegan bubble has burst, with alternative protein companies toppling like dominos. However, a 2024 study published in Nature Reviews says in the last year, sales of supermarket own-label meat alternatives have grown by 14 per cent. In the UK now, around six to nine million adult UK consumers don’t eat meat a further seven million rarely eat it and over six million are planning to go meat-free.

Alternative protein products are here to stay and be reassured that they can play a role in a healthy balanced diet if the ingredients are of good quality.