Health · Fitness & Nutrition · 1 hr ago
Tofu ranked top among 20 protein foods for health, cost and sustainability
A study compared 20 protein-rich foods using health, affordability, availability and environmental impact.
Tofu ranked first, while cheddar cheese came last.
The ranking found that plant-based foods filled the top fifth, while animal-based foods made up the bottom fifth.
Tofu scored well on environmental measures, including greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution, land use and freshwater use.
It also received full marks for containing all nine essential amino acids.
The study argues that food choices should be assessed across several factors, because a single rating can hide trade-offs.
Its framework is intended to help people understand the effects of their food purchases, rather than create a new food label.
Tofu ranked first among 20 protein-rich foods assessed for health, affordability, availability and environmental impact.
Cheddar cheese ranked last, while plant-based foods filled the highest-scoring fifth and animal-based products the lowest-scoring fifth.
The study was published in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems and was developed by Dr. Chris Macdonald.
Tofu scored 16 out of 16 for environmental performance and 20 out of 24 for health and accessibility.
The framework considers nutritional and practical factors alongside the environmental costs of producing protein.
- Who
- Dr. Chris Macdonald developed the framework used in the study.
- What
- A study ranked 20 protein-rich foods using health, affordability, availability and environmental impact.
- When
- The study was published on 1 July 2026.
- Where
- The study appeared in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems.
- Why
- The framework was designed to compare protein foods across multiple considerations and show their trade-offs.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Chris Macdonald’s study, “What are the best sources of protein? Introducing the BPI Score,” was published in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems.
SciTechDaily reported the study’s rankings of 20 protein-rich foods.
- Foods assessed
- 20 protein-rich foods
- Top-ranked food
- Tofu
- Lowest-ranked food
- Cheddar cheese
- Tofu environmental score
- 16 out of 16
- Tofu health and accessibility score
- 20 out of 24
- Study DOI
- 10.3389/fsufs.2026.1677796
What people are saying
Against deliberate corporate obfuscation and marketing myths, the goal of a holistic score is not to create a new label, but to foster a new literacy, one that empowers us to see the reality of the systems we are funding.