The Consumers’ Association looked at 75 vegetarian and vegan 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 a lot of salt and/or saturated fat.
Plus sets a good example
Both supermarkets and A-brands produce unhealthy vegetarian burgers. For example, Vivera, Valess, De Vegetarische Slager and Lidl do not have burgers with a healthy composition. From Albert Heijn there are only 3 out of 10. From Jumbo 4 out of 8 and from Garden Gourmet 2 out of 4. Plus is setting a good example with its 3 veggie burgers. None of them contain too much salt or too much saturated fat.
Vega burger is healthier than beef burger
Sandra Molenaar, director of the Consumer Association: ‘Although many vegetarian burgers are not very healthy, they are generally healthier than beef burgers. Moreover, vegan 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’s up to manufacturers.’
Handful of veggie burgers for vegans
The Consumers’ Association also assessed whether the 27 healthy vegetarian burgers contained sufficient protein, iron and vitamin B12. Then they are optimal for vegans, who cannot get these nutrients from animal products. Only a handful of veggie burgers meet this requirement.
Molenaar: ‘Our panel survey among more than 2000 consumers shows that vegetarians and flexitarians also find these additions important. So manufacturers can still take major steps in this area as well.’
