Whether it’s oat, soya, almond or any other milk alternatives, it would appear us Brits are increasing consumption of milk alternatives.
A study suggests that greenhouse gas emissions used in animal milk production far outweigh plant based substitutes. Not only this, as awareness of animal welfare and the health benefits of vegan milks increases, they’re getting quite the lime light. Over a quarter of us now drink plant based milks. Moreover, around a third of 16-24 yr olds drink them too suggesting no trend of slowing down.
I for one am all for the use of dairy free milks as someone who spent most his childhood drinking with a milk intolerance. Although I can drink cows milk as of late, knowing and having other options can only work in my favour as a consumer. However, not being one to just follow the crowd I think it’s important you do your research to find which milks work for you and the environment.
WHAT IS THE BEST MILK?
As shown above it’s pretty obvious dairy milk dwarfs lactose free milks regarding detrimental gas emissions. It’s also pretty clear all vegan milks are not made equal. Rice and particularly Almond milks use high levels of water to be produced. Making Oat and Soya milks the best for the environment…thus far. Despite this, Almond milk seems to be getting the most traction for interest, possibly due to flavour or just plain better awareness,
THE FUTURE OF MILK
Whilst there is a definite seismic shift towards dairy free milks, milk consumption in general is set to grow with the United Nations predicting a jump from a 3 billion to 10 billion world population by 2067. The amount of dairy free options also seems to be never ending so let’s hope we choose wisely to make it as sustainable as possible in the long run.
Alternatively, why not save the hassle and try the milks in our coffee shops. We’ve tried and tested the best of them and have oat milk by Oatly as a staple due to high sustainability and flavour. For something extra special we serve up pea milk by Sproud, which boasts being 100% allergen free with the lowest carbon footprint of all of the milks available. Who knew milk could come from so many things.
