Protecting families from contaminated food and water
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Protecting families from contaminated food and water
Posted in Our Blog on June 21, 2026
Plant-based cheese consumption is on the rise as alternative diets include novel meat and dairy alternatives. But these ultra-processed foods may contain more than what is on the label.
According to a Belgium study led by researchers from the University of Antwerp, these alternatives to animal-based analogs contain high levels of chemical contaminants, such as flame retardants and plasticizers.
How do these chemicals impact the safety of plant-based and vegan diets?
Plant-based diets are growing hugely popular. In fact, plant-based food is an $8 billion industry in the United States. In Europe, the market is worth 5.8 billion Euro.
That is a lot of plant-based cheese!
People choose plant-based foods for many different reasons.
Some opt for this lifestyle due to environmental ethics. Plant-based foods have been shown to produce half the greenhouse gas emissions and 75% less land use than animal-based analogs do.
Others eat this way for health concerns. Plant-based diets are currently considered healthier than omnivorous diets. Lower risks of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity have been observed. Though the study authors admit that most of those benefits are likely due to increased consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. Diets consisting primarily of low-quality ultra-processed foods high in refined carbohydrates, saturated fats, and added sugars do not enjoy those same benefits.
Regardless, the need for these ultra-processed foods has increased.
With this rise in popularity, comes demand for products.
To achieve novel plant-based foods as close alternative to animal-based their counterparts, the ultra-processed food industry has grown.
Let’s face it. It is likely impossible to make plant-based cheese with whole, real ingredients. The amount of ingredients and the actual process of making something that isn’t animal-based look, taste, and behave like animal-based foods lands it square in the “ultra-processed” category.
Most people do not mind this, as these foods are a staple in their daily lives and allows them to still enjoy those types of foods within the restrictions of their diets.
As with most industrial food processing, certain chemical contamination tends to occur.
Chemical contaminants like organophosphorus flame retardants and plasticizers are commonly found in these foods.
But on what scale?
That is exactly what the study authors wanted to understand.
Are some foods better than others? What are the worst offenders? Is there a way to minimize this type of contamination in ultra-processed foods?
The study, published in Environmental Science and Technology, includes the results of the 52 ultra-processed plant-based food samples.
Popular commercial brand products were obtained from large grocery store chains in Belgium, Germany, and the UK.
Products included:
Common ingredients include soy, legumes, vegetables, grains, mycoprotein, oils, and nuts/seeds.
Samples were tested using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to analyze chemicals and relative concentrations.
Specific chemicals included 17 flame retardants, eight phthalates, and eleven alternative plasticizers. All chemicals that have been found in other ultra-processed foods.
The results show plant-based cheese contained the highest levels of both flame retardants and plasticizers, compared to other plant-based foods tested.
According to study authors, this contamination may include “food contact material and industrial processing as possible contamination sources.”
Additionally, plant-based cheese alternatives often with coconut oil as the primary ingredient showed the highest levels of chemical contamination. Another potential source of these chemicals. Oils have historically tested high for these chemicals.
Processed soy products include foods like tofu, tempeh, and dry soy.
Despite being less processed than other plant-based alternatives, these products ranked as the second most contaminated food category for flame retardants and plasticizers.
Food contact materials were also considered as a probable source for this contamination, as the specific chemicals observed are used in product packaging. However, “the researchers could not draw a link between final product packaging and product contamination.” This leads them to believe that contamination comes at earlier stages in the supply chain. Likely during processing.
In addition to quantifying contaminants in plant-based cheese and other plant-based products, researchers conducted exposure risk assessments for plant-based diets.
They considered flexitarian, vegetarian, and vegan diets.
A flexitarian diet is primarily made up of plant-based foods. However, occasional meat and animal product consumption is allowed.
For flexitarians, the estimated daily intake of flame retardant chemicals was 2.7 nanograms per kilogram of body weight per day.
A vegetarian diet is primarily made up of plant-based foods. However, most vegetarian diets allow consumption of certain animal-based products. For example, many vegetarian diets include milk, eggs, and honey.
For vegetarians, the estimated daily intake of flame retardant chemicals was 14 nanograms per kilogram of body weight per day.
A vegan diet is entirely plant-based. No animal products of any time are allowed on this diet.
For vegans, the estimated daily intake of flame retardant chemicals was 53 nanograms per kilogram of body weight per day.
According to study authors, even the largest estimated daily intake from the vegan diet is within reasonable limits. In fact, they explain that all three diets are still “at least 1,000 time lower than available health-based guidance values.” An indication that the estimated exposure is “unlikely to pose a significant health risk for the adult population.”
If you’d like to know more about food safety topics in the news, like “New Study Finds Plant-Based Cheese Products Contain High Levels of Flame Retardants and Plasticizers,” check out the Make Food Safe Blog. We regularly update trending topics, foodborne infections in the news, recalls, and more! Stay tuned for quality information to help keep your family safe, while The Lange Law Firm, PLLC strives to Make Food Safe!
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)