Mapping the evidence of plant-based alternative foods: A systematic literature review protocol on nutritional, health, and environmental impacts

Diets, especially in the Global North, are causing both health and environmental challenges. The promotion of shifts from current diets to diets rich in plant-sourced foods and low in animal-sourced is commonly regarded as a suitable and evidence-based strategy to improve nutritional health and reduce adverse impacts on the environment, mainly in high-income and food-secure settings. Plant-based alternative foods (PBAF) - products specifically designed to mimic and/or replace animal foods such as dairy and meat – could facilitate such shifts. Demand and supply of PBAF have increased rapidly over the past decade; however, research on the environmental footprints, health effects and nutrient content is in its infancy. Given their exponential growth in the food market, more comprehensive evidence on the health and environmental aspects of PBAF is urgently needed for informed decision-making. This systematic literature review will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Three key concepts will be combined in the search strategy: Alternative foods, health, and environmental impacts. The literature will synthesize the evidence of both peer-reviewed studies and grey literature assessing the health, nutrient and environmental impact of PBAF sold in high-income countries. Five literature databases will be searched to identify peer-reviewed studies published over the last 5 years. Evidence will be mapped and analysed based on the comparability of results and reported outcomes.

Additional Information

This PhD is funded for three years by the NIHR HPRU in Environmental Change and Health (ECH). The NIHR HPRU supports PHE/UKHSA in protecting the UK from environmental changes and increasing research capacity in this area.

Keywords

Animal-sourced foods, Plant-based alternative foods