Food agencies from 15 European countries have assessed the safety of plant-based alternatives, finding sporadic contamination.

The report, published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) details the microbiological quality of ready-to-eat (RTE) plant-based dairy, meat and fish substitutes.

Testing included enumeration of total viable counts, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella and other relevant microorganisms, following standardized laboratory protocols. Factors influencing contamination were product formulation, processing conditions, and storage practices.