Are You Breaking Up With Plant-based Milk?

Wellbeing influencers are now turning their backs on the plant-based and free from world that was thrust upon us in its ubiquity around a decade ago. It’s a world where vegan packaging, always emblazoned with green stamps and leaf illustrations, promises a superior lifestyle choice with “lower in fat” and “made with plants” both commonly serving as conveniently vague taglines. 

Likewise, the Free From aisle glitters with shiny labels on brown, eco-packaging and appears like a place where you can get “healthier” versions of your favourite baked goods only to discover they are laden with refined sugar and ingredients you can’t pronounce. But how exactly did the food industry get us wound around their finger with this playful marketing stunt? Was it all a fad? Are we only now finding some balance and waking up to the truth? 

Cast your mind back around fifteen years or so and you probably wouldn’t believe that veganism and gluten free diets would become so popular nowadays.

Fast forward and approximately a quarter of the population are now adopting meat free or animal product and meat-reduced diets in the UK.

Veganism and the “Alternatives” rise to fame

What explains this surge in popularity? Well, thanks to a perfect storm of corporate cash, influencer credentials, and the growing allure of health and sustainability, the “alternative” became the norm.

Add in the social media power of high profile celebs like Lewis Hamilton and Ariana Grande, and suddenly veganism wasn’t just a diet; it was a popular lifestyle to aspire to. Health-conscious and eco-friendly messaging fueled campaigns like "Veganuary," and what was once resigned to the niche nut roast fanatics is now a cultural event, blending ethics and style in one unstoppable wave.

Is veganism being misunderstood?

Many followers of the vegan movement believe there is evidence to support plant-based diets to benefit the health of our planet. Largely, in terms of ecological and ethical issues, the evidence appears to be in their favour , yet there are some ambiguities and holes in various arguments, both on a nutritional level and an environmental one.

Saying it’s a big topic is nothing short of a colossal understatement. So let’s take oat milk as an isolated example.

Oat milk as a product could be seen as the prime example of an over-blown plant-based and free-from product. But is it all it's cracked up to be?

The monoculture problem : Oats are often grown in vast, single-crop stretches, which may reduce biodiversity and harm local ecosystems.

The glyphosate concern : Some oat milk brands ensure they’re glyphosate-free, but recent reports found traces of the herbicide in others, raising concerns about how “clean” this eco-friendly and supposedly ‘healthy’ option really is.

So oat milk might be great for your morning latte, but the complexities lurking behind the carton show it might not always be a straightforward green choice. And as influencers and media dive deeper into these stories, we’re left with a bigger question: is it the diet itself or the oversimplification of its impact that’s misleading us?

Glyphosate is not the only wellbeing concern here. The Big Food industry, for the large part, is very rarely on the side of our health. This may not come as a huge shock when considering plant-based and "free from" labels, especially if you are already tuned in to the scathing reviews these fallen “health foods” receive on various corners of the internet.

The Big-Food Food-Chain

But despite our best efforts as consumers, it’s near impossible to avoid falling for seemingly trustworthy brands. When corporate giants began buying up independent plant-based companies or launching their own in-house “health-conscious” labels, the lines became blurred. Health food products, once synonymous with simplicity and previously solely encountered in musky-scented health food stores, often came back from big food acquisition with recipes quietly reworked to include sugars, emulsifiers and preservatives.

Consumers who had trusted these brands now face labels that read the same but hide a very different product inside. There were also the big food brands who blatantly and shamelessly jumped on the “Veganuary” wagon releasing “KFC Vegan Wings”, and all the rest.

The result? We now live in a reality where statements like “organic,” “natural,” or even “plant-based” suggest a standard that doesn’t always align with reality, misleading consumers who once relied on these terms as markers of quality. It is safe to say we have been duped.

While some influencers return to dairy and other plant-based milk options, food allergies and intolerances are not to be taken lightly. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that food allergies affect more than 10% of the general population worldwide.

So, who is actually benefiting from the supermarket “free-from” aisle? While it remains essential for those with genuine medical needs, the problem seems less about the availability of alternatives and more about how these, often highly processed products are marketed to the general public.

The issue, therefore, is not with the availability of food alternatives for allergy and intolerance sufferers — the responsibility lies with the food manufacturers. 

“Cow’s milk, especially when it’s organic and sustainably produced, is still a valuable choice nutritionally, offering quality protein and healthy fats,” says Eleanor Hoath, Lead Nutritionist and Healf Editor. “Of course, dairy isn’t right for everyone, including myself - but what’s worrying is the way many plant-based and 'free from' options are starting to resemble junk food. With added sugars, unnatural flavours, and various fillers, they’re often worlds away from the natural, wholesome alternatives we’d expect.”

What should an “alternative diet” look like?

Eleanor adds, “There are still great choices out there for those wanting to avoid animal products or gluten, whole foods like pulses, buckwheat, and wild rice are minimally processed and provide real, nutritious alternatives without unnecessary additives. These options are just healthier all around. As for plant based milks - I always encourage people to opt for as minimal ingredients as possible - brands like Plenish simply use Nuts, Water and Sea Salt.”