Paris (AFP)
Vegetarian and vegan products sold by supermarkets are mainly composed of water rather than vegetable proteins, alert the consumer association CLCV on Monday, which pleads for the creation of an official label recognized by the state.
"More than half of the products are mainly composed ... of water! Ingredients of plant origin represent on average only 39% of the recipe", according to the results of the study conducted by the CLCV.
Vegetable pancakes are the best students with 53%.
The rest of the recipe consists of fat, salts, spices and additives.
Among the 95 vegetarian and vegan products studied, "eight products out of 10 contain at least one additive", the document specifies.
The consumer defense association also points to the lack of transparency on the origin of ingredients, with only 19% of products specifying their real origin on their packaging, "especially when a mention such as + made in France + or a flag French appear on the packaging ".
In addition, consuming these "ultra-processed" plant products is not within the reach of all budgets, "the study said.
The price of a kilo of vegetable steak is 13 euros, against 10.5 euros for its animal counterpart.
In addition, buying more expensive "will not guarantee a better Nutri-Score, more ingredients of vegetable origin and less additives", warns the CLCV.
Only 20% of the products studied indicated their nutritional profile, although overall they were "quite good from a nutritional point of view".
And 83%, a share calculated by the association, achieve an A or B grade.
It calls on manufacturers and distributors to display the Nutri-Score to allow "a rapid comparison of the nutritional qualities of products" and "the creation of an official label recognized by the State to provide reliable and clear information to the consumer".
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