Plant-based meat and dairy alternatives in Norway: consumption, nutritional quality and Nutri-Score based on data from the Norkost 4 survey

Alternatives to animal-sourced foods (Alt-ASFs) are processed plant-based products that mimic animal-sourced foods. This study aimed to describe the consumption of Alt-ASFs in the Norwegian dietary survey (Norkost 4) and compare population characteristics and nutritional intake in regular consumers. Further, to compare the nutritional quality of Alt-ASFs consumed and describe the distribution of the Nutri-Score and NewTools-score - a proposed revised version of Nutri-Score, among these products.

Dietary data were collected from 1,815 adults in Norkost 4 using 2*24-h recalls and a food frequency questionnaire. Alt-ASFs were identified and compared with corresponding ASFs. Nutritional quality was assessed and products were scored using Nutri-Score and NewTools-score.

Overall, the consumption of Alt-ASF was low (mean: 0.3 energy %, SD: 1.6). 8% (n = 147) reported consuming one or more Alt-ASFs regularly, defined as ≥ 2 times/week, with dairy alternatives being most frequently consumed. Regular consumers were typically younger, female, and more likely to report a vegetarian diet. Most Alt-ASFs contained lower levels of the assessed micronutrients except for meat and fortified milk, whose micronutrient content was similar or higher than ASFs. There was a wide variation in nutritional scores for Alt-ASFs. Unfortified Alt-ASFs typically had a low micronutrient content but could still achieve favourable Nutri-Scores if low in salt, sugar and saturated fat.

Our findings indicate that only a minor part of Norwegian adults regularly consumes Alt-ASFs and consumption is low. Shifting from ASFs to Alt-ASFs may have some nutritional benefits and some disadvantages, largely dependent on the chosen products.