Oats, almonds, soy or vegan ovo drink: fake milk is so sustainable

They are called Oatly, Alnatura, Beleaf, Alpro, V-Love or Karma: there are now enough brands that offer plant-based milk in Switzerland. Another brand is now entering the race for the growing vegan clientele: Ovomaltine and the company behind it, Wander, are launching the Ovo Vegan drink. Instead of cow’s milk like the previous Ovo drink, it is based on oat milk. At the same time, Wander launches a chocolate drink from Caotina and a mixed drink made from Ovo and coffee.

The timing of the launch of the new vegan drink should not be a coincidence. With the Veganuary – or vegan January – people are encouraged to eat less based on animal products through campaigns, promotions and recipe ideas. Official supporters of the campaign include major distributors Migros and Coop, who advertise discounts for their own brands V-Love and Karma respectively. There is also a Vegan menu in the SBB restaurants.

Especially in the field of plant-based milk alternatives, the awareness-raising of recent years has certainly paid off. In the past five years, the sale of drinks made from almonds, soybeans, oats, rice, coconut and Co. more than doubled in Switzerland, according to an evaluation by the Federal Bureau of Agriculture in June 2022.

Vegetable milk still occupies a niche position compared to dairy products of animal origin, mainly cow’s milk. In 2021, their market share in the total milk market was only 4.2 percent, according to the agency. More than 95 percent of sales are still generated with animal milk.

However, while the demand for cow’s milk is decreasing, the plant-based milk market will grow strongly. The vegan drinks are already more popular with customers of the retailer Coop, which started expanding its vegan range relatively early and now has more than 50 milk alternatives. According to the company, more than every seventh milk purchased from Coop is vegan milk. That’s about 14 percent.

Migros, which even has hazelnut, quinoa and chickpea drinks in its range, speaks of a market share for vegetable milk in the higher single digit range when asked. “The demand for cow’s milk will probably decrease further in the coming years and there will be more demand for milk substitutes,” spokeswoman Carmen Hefti said when asked. “We expect the number of milk replacers to double in the next five years.”

The two discounters Aldi and Lidl do not provide figures on plant-based milk, but speak of an “increasing demand” for vegan and vegetarian substitutes.

The fact that plant-based milk has a better ecological balance than the resource-intensive production of cow’s milk is beyond dispute and is the main reason for most people to consume it. But there are differences between the races. The best-selling oat milk performs best, because many manufacturers can rely on locally grown oats. Water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions are also relatively low.

Soy milk lives up to its name because the soy used for it often comes from European cultivation and not from Brazil, where the rainforest is cleared for soy. The almond drink is at the forefront in terms of sustainability. The reason is the high water consumption and the long transport routes – most of the almonds come from California. Rice drinks also fare less well for similar reasons.