Sodium content of plant-based meat and cheese analogues: comparison with benchmarks proposed by the World Health Organization

Although plant-based analogues of animal products have become increasingly common, their sodium content has not been adequately investigated. The main aims of this study were to: (i) compare sodium content of cheese analogues, meat analogues, and tofu and tempeh sold in Italy with the relative WHO benchmarks (720, 250 and 280 mg/100 g, respectively); and (ii) evaluate the effectiveness of Nutri-Score in identifying products exceeding these benchmarks. Food labels from 430 meat analogues, 49 cheese analogues and 42 tofu and tempeh products were collected and analysed. Meat analogues (93%) and tofu and tempeh (57%) had the highest percentage of products exceeding the benchmark while cheese analogues had the lowest (20%). All subcategories in the meat analogues category showed a higher median sodium content than the benchmark, with cured meats having the highest level. Among cheese analogues, the grated cheese subcategory showed the highest median sodium content with all products exceeding the benchmark, while tofu and tempeh had the lowest median sodium content. The Nutri-Score algorithm did not consistently identify products with sodium levels exceeding the established benchmarks. This study highlights the need to reduce sodium content of such products and emphasises the importance of improving consumers’ nutritional awareness.