Want alternatives to meat and dairy? Start here.

Plant-based alternatives are gaining popularity and showing up in grocery stores nationwide. And meat, dairy, and fish that taste like the real thing, because they are, but without the animal- will hit shelves soon.

One way consumers can play a major role in building a more sustainable food system is to eat more plants, and less industrially-intensive meat and dairy. Searching out plant-based alternatives is one strategy but they have to taste good and be easy to find and affordable. It’s much easier to vote with your wallet if you like what you’re buying.

So in a by no means scientific study, Stone Pier Press News Fellows evaluated the options. Already familiar with long-time industry staples, such as soy milk and garden burgers, we took a closer look at the new crop of alternatives that try to replicate the taste of their animal-based counterparts, like Ripple Milk, vegan cheese, Just Scramble eggs, and the Beast Burger.

While we were at it we also checked on the progress of the start-ups working to reproduce animal cells and proteins to design the most realistic alternatives yet. Finally, we pooled our recommendations for the plant-based options each of us has grown to love and depend on, shown in the chart below.

So read all about it, and let us know if we've missed anything.

- Hayley Davis & Eve Morris, News Fellows