378: Is plant-based always better for you - and the planet?

<div> <a href="https://foodmatterslive.com/article/5-plant-based-food-trends-and-innovations-for-2023/">Plant-based meat alternatives</a> are supposed to be better for the planet and they are supposed to be good for you.<br> <br> But as they have grown in popularity, there are claims from some quarters that there is something of a halo effect at play, and that some of these health and environmental claims do not quite stack up.<br> <br> Evidence is offered which mentions the nutritional shortcomings of plant-based processed foods, as well as the carbon footprint being far higher than vegetables or legumes.   <br> <br> In the midst of a climate crisis, where greenwashing is commonplace, this stuff really matters and it can be hard to cut through the noise to get to the facts.<br> <br> Which is where today's guest on the Food Matters Live podcast, Chris Bryant comes in, he has <a href="https://foodmatterslive.com/article/plant-based-alternatives-healthier-meat-processing-nutritionally-beneficial/">reviewed a host of previous studies</a> to see where we are up to.<br> <br> <strong>Dr Chris Bryant, Research Associate, University of Bath - Director, Bryant Research<br> </strong><br> Chris Bryant PhD is a social scientist and an expert on alternative protein markets and marketing. He is a Research Associate at the <a href="https://www.bath.ac.uk/">University of Bath</a>.<br> <br> He has published several papers on consumer acceptance of cultivated meat, plant-based meat, and fermentation-derived animal product alternatives. <br> <br> Through his company, <a href="https://www.bryantresearch.co.uk/">Bryant Research Ltd</a>, he works with alternative protein companies and non-profits, including <a href="https://www.legendairyfoods.de/">Formo</a>, <a href="https://www.ivy.farm/news/">Ivy Farm Technologies</a>, <a href="https://www.aleph-farms.com/">Aleph Farms</a>, <a href="https://www.wildtypefoods.com/">Wild Type</a>, and <a href="https://foodmatterslive.com/podcast/is-fermentation-still-the-future-of-food-food-podcasts/