Vegan alternatives are ultra-processed
Some are, and that is a fair criticism of those products. It says nothing about a diet of pulses, grains, vegetables and fruit: and most animal products on sale are processed too.
The products that make veganism workable for most people, the burgers, sausages, mince, cheeses and milks designed to replace animal foods, are industrial creations built from protein isolates, oils, starches, gums and flavourings, and they fall squarely into the ultra-processed category that the evidence links to obesity, heart disease and early death. A steak, an egg or a glass of milk is a single whole food, while its vegan substitute is a factory formulation with a long ingredient list. So in practice, going vegan swaps real food for processed imitations, and that is a step backwards for health whatever the ethical case.
Meat analogues are typically ultra-processed by the standard classifications, and the evidence associating ultra-processed food with poor health outcomes is worth taking seriously. Where the argument fails is in the inference from those products to the diet.
A vegan diet built on beans, lentils, rice, oats, potatoes, vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds is about as minimally processed as food gets. Meanwhile bacon, sausages, ham, cheese and most deli meat are also ultra-processed, and processed meat specifically is classified by the IARC as carcinogenic to humans. Processing is a property of particular products across the whole food system, not a property of plant-based eating.
Composition: assuming what is true of the parts must be true of the whole. Division: assuming what is true of the whole must be true of each part.
How it applies here: Infers that the diet is ultra-processed from the fact that some products available within it are. Meat substitutes are a small and optional part of what most vegans actually eat.
Applying a principle generally while claiming an exemption for one's own case, without giving a relevant reason for the exception.
How it applies here: Applies a processing standard to plant-based products that is not applied to bacon, sausages or cheese, which meet the same definition and are rarely raised as objections to eating meat.