WHY ETHICAL MILK MIGHT BE THE FUTURE

In the flurry of dairy alternatives, from oat milk, almond and now even potato-derived milks, have we lost sight of what’s important?

Useful – and hugely popular – though such products are, especially for consumers with a dairy intolerance, they do little to actually tackle some of the ethical issues levied at cow milk. As farming practices improve, and the industry addresses and updates some of its more contentious production methods, we ask, is ethically-sourced dairy set to not only make a comeback, but become a super food?

Who knew? Really, who knew that you could milk a potato?

Until Waitrose announced their predictions for food and drinks trends for 2022, certainly the vast majority of us didn’t. But there it was, tipped as a hot new trend, it was touted to be in demand for its low sugar and saturated fat content, as well as, you know, not actually being milk.

Consumers with – and without – dairy intolerances have increasingly moved away from cow’s milk in recent years, seeking instead alternatives that promise to be both more sustainably and ethically produced, as well as lower in fat.

And though most brands add the vitamins naturally occurring in cow’s milk, such as calcium, vitamin D, riboflavin and vitamin A, additional vitamins such as iron are often promised in products such as oat milk. Plantbased products in particular, are of course ‘having a moment’. But it’s a moment they’ve been having for several years now.

It’s not just oat and nuts that are being ‘milked’ in this growing movement. There’s now milk products sourced from everything from bananas, chia seeds, hemp, peas and barley. So, is anything set to change?