<p>Sustainable production systems target devising new strategies that are environmentally friendly as well as efficient. The challenges in animal rearing and the production of meat have pivoted the research approaches towards the development of plant-based meat alternatives and analogs. These provide high-quality proteins and other nutritional components at par with meat and its products. However, due to their high protein and moisture content, as well as nearly neutral pH, these plant-based meat analogs (PBMA) are susceptible to microbial proliferation and deterioration. The nature of microbes growing on these products differs a lot as compared to other corresponding livestock products, particularly meat. The microbiota is dependent on varied factors like raw materials used, processing technologies, post-processing interventions, product properties, and storage conditions. There is an urgent need to analyze and study the diverse microbial population of these PBMA so that they can be projected as safe and sustainable substitutes for meat. The control strategies can only be designed when there is a comprehensive knowledge of the microbiota causing the spoilage of these products. There is also a dire need to develop standards for raw and finished products so that monitoring mechanisms can be set in place and quality assurance can be ensured. Apart from this, packaging requirements and methodologies can be standardized depending upon the compositional analysis, which directly affects the number and type of microbes affecting them.</p>