Why? Dairy is up there with meat in terms of planetary impact.
CRAZY FACT
2 pints of milk per day for a year is as much as a return flight from London to Madrid. True story!
Let’s leave alone the hallowed ground of cheese for now. We don’t want you all unsubscribing!
It’s easy to forget about dairy in the cat-fight of emissions, but it’s perfectly logical really. Milk mainly comes from cows, cows produce methane and it’s industrial scale agriculture that feeds them. We know about methane, but here’s a reminder of why industrial agriculture is a problem: Forests are cut down and no longer act as a ‘carbon sink’; degraded soils mean a susceptibility to flooding; and for plants, wildlife and ecosystems, as well as the poor animals subjected to unimaginable factory conditions, it’s an ecological and ethical disaster.
There’s also the side-fact of dairy milk using loads more water to produce compared to non-dairy alternatives. In the US, believe it or not, it takes 144 gallons of water to produce 1 gallon of milk. And the more resources used, the more the planetary impact.
To the naysayers who claim soy milk is ruining the planet, say this in an informed, authoritative voice: ‘70% of the world’s soy is used for livestock feed. Only 6% is used in human food, the remaining 24% for vegetable oil. All in all, it’ll have significantly less impact than a glass of dairy milk, so don’t sweat it.’ Done.
Here’s an interesting graph for a snapshot
Ok got it. So how do I take action?
Many of us have already switched and plant-based milk is the choice for almost 25% of Britons now, with oat milk the out and out winner. People, especially the older generation, are often suspicious of the taste. Aimee stealthily blind-tested oat milk on her family and they didn’t know any different, objection dealt with! What about calcium? Most plant milks are fortified, just check the label.
If you haven’t yet stepped over the non-dairy line and are furrowing your brow at this point, here’s the fast track test:
Try a few! You can choose from Oat, Soy and Almond in the main (though there’s a heap of less mainstream ones too). Try unsweetened or sweetened and see what you think.
But will it cost me more money?
Yes, though non-dairy milk tends to last longer in the fridge.
We…
Aimee: I like to make well-researched choices. Much to Sonia’s amusement, I tried about about 5 different types and then was recommended the Oatly Barista version and I’ve not gone back.
Sonia: I detest normal milk and have been on plant milks for ever, possibly since birth ;-). My all out fave, fave, fave is the Oatly Barista edition. In fact, I think I recommended it to Aimee, though I notice she hasn’t credited me. Dare you not to love it.
“We’re oat-milking it
”
Photo: Alexa Suter