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16.12.2024 - Foods
Vegan Cheese Substitutes: A Good Alternative?!
Vegan cheese alternatives are becoming increasingly popular. However, during their production, bacteria can thrive in the nuts used, which can be potentially harmful to health. For particularly sensitive consumers, this can be dangerous. As part of the Federal Control Plan (BÜp), vegan cheese alternatives based on nuts were microbiologically tested. The good news: Only a few products were found to have disease-causing pathogens.
Like conventional cheese, vegan alternatives are also produced through fermentation. This can lead to the proliferation of potentially harmful bacteria if measures such as pasteurization do not reduce the germ count. In France, the consumption of vegan cheese alternatives in 2022 led to disease outbreaks caused by listeria, which also affected pregnant women.
As part of the BÜp, 375 samples of vegan cheese alternatives were tested nationwide in 2023. These came from almonds, cashew nuts, walnuts, and nut mixtures and were tested for various pathogens.
Bacterial pathogens were detected in only a few cases. Bacillus cereus was detectable in eight of 357 examined samples (2.2%), and Clostridium perfringens in one of 339 samples (0.3%). No Salmonella, coagulase-positive staphylococci, or listeria were found in any sample.
"The results of this nationwide investigation show that pathogenic microorganisms were only detected in very rare cases. This is encouraging, as such vegan trend products are becoming increasingly popular," explains Friedel Cramer, President of the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL). "Nevertheless, consumers should always be aware that vegan cheese alternatives can also contain pathogenic germs." Particularly sensitive groups, such as pregnant women, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems, should therefore refrain from vegan cheese substitute products for safety reasons.
In our Tentamus laboratories, we regularly conduct tests for coumarin. We provide fast and reliable results. For questions, our customer service representatives are very happy to assist you.
Source: www.bvl.bund.de