Consumers Association: ‘Two thirds of veggie burgers are not very healthy, nutritional value can be easily improved’

The consumer organization looked at 75 burgers available at Albert Heijn, Jumbo, Lidl, Plus, Aldi, Hoogvliet, Dirk and Ekoplaza. These burgers are made from, for example, soy, nuts, pea protein or vegetables. Two thirds of the products appear to contain too much salt and/or saturated fat, is the conclusion.

The Consumers’ Association saw that both supermarkets and A-brands make unhealthy veggie burgers. This includes names such as Vivera, Valess, De Vegetarische Slager and Lidl. From Albert Heijn, 3 out of 10 veggie burgers can be called ‘healthy’ (as in: they do not contain too much salt or saturated fat), from Jumbo 4 out of 8 and from Garden Gourmet 2 out of 4.

Plus comes out best in the check: none of her 3 burgers contain too much salt or too much saturated fat. To illustrate: a healthier veggie burger contains, according to the association, a maximum of 1.13 grams of salt and 2.5 grams of saturated fat per 100 grams.

Of the 75 vegan burgers, only 27 are a healthier choice, says the Consumers’ Association. It was also assessed whether the 27 healthy vegetarian burgers contained sufficient protein, iron and vitamin B12. Then they are optimal for vegans, who do not get these nutrients from animal products. Only a handful of vegan burgers meet this requirement, the union says.

“Our panel research among more than 2000 consumers shows that vegetarians and flexitarians also find these additions important,” says Sandra Molenaar, director of the Consumers’ Association. “Manufacturers can also take significant steps in this area.”

Vega burgers contain on average a lot less salt and saturated fat than beef burgers, according to the Consumers’ Association. “They are generally healthier than beef burgers,” says Molenaar. “Moreover, vegetarian variants are a lot more sustainable. Not only in terms of animal welfare, but also because of the much smaller impact on the climate. With a little less salt, they are even healthier compared to meat, so it is up to manufacturers.”

The Consumers’ Association calls on manufacturers to be less generous with salt and to add more iron, protein and vitamin B12 to the burgers.

The Nutrition Center already reported that in 2022 not all meat substitutes fit into the Wheel of Five, because one part contains too much salt. They then compared six ready-made substitutes (so no burgers) from the supermarkets and saw major differences: one meat substitute had only 0.7 grams of salt per 100 grams, the other no less than 2.2 grams. The maximum amount of salt per day – for someone older than 9 years – is 6 grams.

Their check showed that Vivera’s ‘Vegetable mincemeat’ contains the least amount of salt, followed by Albert Heijn’s ‘Vegetarian minced chicken natural’ and Jumbo’s ‘Tasty veggie burger vegan’. The Unox Vegetarian Smoked Sausage performed worst in terms of salt. This is followed by the ‘Pieces of Italian style’ from Valess and the ‘Vegan hacktbal’ from the Vegetarian Butcher.

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