Plant milks – more misleading headlines
Headlines warning parents against “trendy” oat and soya milks are wilfully misleading
Blaming “trendy” oat and soya milks for obesity and dental problems in young children is clearly ridiculous and serves as a major distraction from the real problem – poor diet. Most children in the UK drink cow’s milk; the number of kids drinking plant-based milks is relatively very small and to try and blame obesity and dental problems on plant milks does all children a massive disservice.
It’s a classic case of misdirection; the real issue is that over 50 per cent of the UK diet is made up of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) – more than in any other European country. Even though 20 to 26 per cent of children aged 1.5 to five years drink sugar-sweetened squashes, cordials and fizzy energy drinks – these drinks only make up a small proportion of their sugar intake. In children aged one to five years, the majority of free sugars come from sweets, biscuits, cakes, puddings, breakfast cereals and sweetened dairy products such as yoghurts, not plant-based milks.
Sweetened almond, oat and soya drinks are classified as sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and should be avoided by young children – as well as by everyone really. However, the government’s 2025 SACN/COT report makes clear that unsweetened, fortified plant-based milks offer nutritional benefits over cow’s milk: lower energy and saturated fat, plus added fibre and vitamin D – cow’s milk lacks fibre and only contains trace levels of vitamin D.
Plant-based drinks, they say, should be fortified with vitamin A, riboflavin, vitamin B12, calcium and iodine at levels comparable with those found in semi-skimmed cow’s milk. These days, most plant milks meet that requirement.
The report says in their conclusion: “fortified and unsweetened (without free sugars or non-sugar sweeteners) almond, oat and soya drinks are an acceptable alternative to cow’s milk”.
About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
Justine joined Viva! in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. After working as a campaigner, then researcher and writer, she is now Viva!’s head of research and her work focuses on animals, the environment and health. Justine’s scientific training helps her research and write both in-depth scientific reports, such as White Lies and the Meat Report, as well as easy-to-read factsheets and myth-busting articles for consumer magazines and updates on the latest research. Justine also recently wrote the Vegan for the Planet guide for Viva!’s Vegan Now campaign.
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