A new peer-reviewed study found that plant-based foods sold at a major UK supermarket contained nearly twice as many food additives as their animal-based counterparts — and the finding is more complicated than either side wants to admit.
Story Snapshot
- Researchers compared 71 matched pairs of plant-based and animal-based products and found 199 additives in plant-based items versus 100 in animal-based ones.
- Plant-based cheeses and milks carried the heaviest additive loads — while regular animal-based dairy used zero additives.
- Every single additive found in the study was fully legal under UK food safety rules.
- The study’s own lead author said more additives “does not necessarily mean an increased health risk.”
What the Study Actually Found
Researchers at the Institute for Optimum Nutrition (ION) in the UK published a first-of-its-kind study comparing food additives in plant-based versus animal-based supermarket products. They looked at 71 matched pairs — think plant-based cheese next to regular cheese, oat milk next to cow’s milk. The plant-based products contained 199 total additives. The animal-based products contained 100. That is not a small gap. The total ingredient count was 1,566 for plant-based items versus 1,110 for animal-based ones.
The biggest differences showed up in dairy and meat alternatives. Plant-based cheeses and milks loaded up on additives. Regular dairy? Zero additives. That contrast is hard to ignore, and it directly challenges the “natural” image that many plant-based brands market to health-conscious shoppers. The study also found that plant-based products used 39 different additive types — called E-numbers in the UK — compared to 31 in animal-based products. That wider variety matters because some consumers react differently to specific additives.
Why the “It’s All Safe” Argument Only Goes So Far
Defenders of plant-based foods point out — correctly — that every additive in the study was approved under UK food safety law. The UK requires additives to pass scientific review before they can be used in food products. The European Food Safety Authority also re-evaluates older additives on a rolling basis to make sure they are still considered safe. These are real safeguards. Nobody in this debate is claiming the government approved poison. That is not the issue.
The issue is what we do not yet know. The study counted how many additives were present. It did not measure how much of each additive was in each product. It did not track how often people eat these foods. And it did not follow anyone’s health over time. Without that data, nobody can say with certainty whether eating plant-based alternatives daily causes harm. The study authors themselves were clear on this point. Lead researcher Joseph Whittaker stated the findings “do not necessarily mean an increased health risk.” That is honest science. But it also means the “everything is fine” response is equally premature.
The Real Problem With “Healthy” Food Marketing
When you buy a block of cheddar cheese, you get milk, salt, and starter culture. When you buy plant-based cheese, you may get a dozen or more ingredients engineered to mimic the taste and texture of something your body already recognizes. That is not automatically dangerous. But it is not the same thing as minimally processed food, regardless of what the packaging says.
Plant-based alternatives contain twice as many additives as animal products, new UK study finds https://t.co/lN3QpbX9hN pic.twitter.com/432uCvcWYA
— PharmacyUpdateOnline (@PharmacyUpdateO) July 4, 2026
This pattern is not new. Nutrition researchers and food marketers have clashed for decades over ultra-processed foods. The plant-based industry faces the same tension: consumers want products that taste like meat and cheese but feel virtuous. Hitting that target requires chemistry. The ION study did come from a nutrition counseling institute rather than an independent food safety body, and that is worth noting when weighing its authority. But the core data — counted from actual supermarket products — is straightforward and has not been disputed by any primary source.
What Shoppers Should Actually Do With This Information
Read the ingredient label, not the front of the package. A product that says “plant-based” or “vegan” is not automatically cleaner or simpler than its animal-based version. In many cases, the opposite is true. If you are choosing plant-based foods for environmental or ethical reasons, that is a valid personal choice. But if your main goal is to eat fewer processed ingredients, the data now suggests you should check what is actually in the product before assuming it is the healthier option. The gap between the marketing and the ingredient list can be surprisingly wide.
Sources:
mindbodygreen.com, yahoo.com, ion.ac.uk, yumda.com, campdenbri.co.uk, committees.parliament.uk
