Got (Real or Plant-Based) Milk?

July 16, 2023 - By Sally Smithwick

In a world where an increasing number of consumers are concerned about animal welfare and the environmental impact the foods we consume have on the planet, we’ve seen significant shifts in milk consumption as consumers are willing to try plant-based alternatives. Then, the dairy industry, already struggling with increased costs for fuel and feed, took another setback when the FDA released new guidelines this year that allow plant-based alternatives to be labeled as “milk” as long as the nutritional differences are clearly explained and stated for consumers.

In an effort to set the record straight, the Milk Processors Education Program (MilkPEP) created a new campaign starring Aubrey Plaza, the popular actress from Parks and Recreation and most recently HBO’s The White Lotus. The parody pokes fun at plant-based milks by portraying Plaza as the co-founder of “Wood Milk,” and goes on to show her in a wood milk orchard milking “free-range” trees being “squished into a slime.” She discusses flavors such as maple, oak and mahogany that “all taste like wood.” She wraps up the spot with, “Is wood milk real? Absolutely, not! Only real milk is real, then what did I invest in?”

While it’s difficult not to laugh at the performance by Plaza, the campaign stirred up quite a bit of controversy and resulted in the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine filing a complaint with the USDA and asking for retraction of the advertisement. It remains to be seen how this will play out legally, but what supermarkets should really be paying attention to is what their shoppers want and need when it comes to milk. Retail dietitians can help guide consumers in their stores to truly understand the nutritional aspects of dairy versus plant-based, so whatever they choose, one is not a complete substitute for the other.

This month, Supermarket News reported that “dairy milk had a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) decline of 3.2% from 2017 to 2022, and “plant-based milk grew 6.9% over that period,” according to Circana, a Chicago-based market research firm. However, the same article reported that dairy milk still has an 86% hold on milk sales in the dairy aisle.

Plant-based milks whether almond, soy, or oat generally have higher price points and offer opportunity for higher profit. But while they can be less expensive to manufacture than dairy milk, many plant-based milks come from smaller companies that may deal with higher manufacturing costs per item produced than larger traditional dairy farms. 

In 2020, the USDA released the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which included that most Americans should consume three servings of dairy per day. The guidelines also point out that three of the four dietary components of public health concern are potassium, calcium and Vitamin D — all of which can be achieved through the consumption of cow’s milk. Many plant-based milks can lack or have less of these nutrients, but versions that have been fortified are available. Plant-based milks may contain added sugars to improve taste that some consumers may want to avoid.

While the role of the retail dietitian is not to side with the dairy industry or plant-based milk industry, it is within the RDs arena to make shoppers’ interests and budgets a priority and offer access to sound nutritional information about the choices available. Get to know what your shoppers prefer, what they are interested in trying, what their values are, and what they can afford. And most importantly, make sure you are providing credible, science-backed nutritional guidance on what they can nutritionally gain from dairy or plant-based milk — or what they will be missing out on and how they can supplement those nutrients with other foods.