Remember when everyone was drinking soy lattes? Then suddenly soy was bad for you and we all switched to almond milk. Word got out that our almond milk habit was killing the bees and guzzling too much water, so everybody moved to oat milk. And now we’re all frantic about the amount of carbs in oat milk.
The overabundance of plant-based options has left us more confused than caffeinated. As consumers, we should know which milks are sustainable and nutritional. The good news? Your coffee order doesn’t have to be complicated; here’s everything you need to know to make an informed choice.
Why plant-based?
Sustainability and climate impact have become big factors in the way we talk about and buy dairy milk. The production of dairy products — including milk, cream, yoghurt and, yes, your cheese habit — accounts for 3.6 per cent of global climate-warming emissions. Gases emitted by manure, feed production, milk processing and even cow’s flatulence are a concern. Soy, almond and oat milks have a far lower carbon footprint than cow’s milk, and they use less water. (Even almond milk, which has suffered some bad press.)
Globally, the meat and dairy industries account for 83 per cent of farmland but contribute
