29 January 2025
Are sustainable foods accessible for everyone?
Are sustainable foods accessible for all? A deep-dive on plant-based milk alternatives by Postgraduate Researcher Rachel Claydon
The food system has a huge impact on the environment, with animal-based foods disproportionately responsible for the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions(i), water use and land use.
In the UK, meat accounts for 32% of greenhouse gas emissions associated with diets, with dairy products contributing a further 14%(ii).
The Climate Change Committee argues that we need a 20% shift away from both meat and dairy products by 2030 in order for the UK to reach Net Zero(iii), which is also necessary to protect biodiversity and freshwater reserves. Plant-rich diets are also associated with numerous positive health outcomes(iv).
However, there is a widespread perception that more sustainable foods come with a price premium, and that they are out of reach for many. Is this the case for plant-based alternatives to dairy milk?
Deep-dive on plant-based milk alternatives
The Food Foundation’s annual report on the state of the UK food system Broken Plate, published in January 2025, revisits the cost of plant-based milk alternatives to find out how prices have changed relative to the cost of dairy milk in our 2022 report(vi).
Plant-based milks have the highest sales of all plant-based alternative categories in the UK, representing a real success story for the plant-based sector, with 242 million litres sold in 2023(vii).
These alternatives to dairy milk surged in popularity during the 2010s, with consumers choosing them over dairy for both health and environmental reasons(viii).
The cheapest two milk alternatives retail at just 50p/litre (Image: Rachel Claydon)
While growth of the category at mainstream retailers stalled between 2022 and 2023(ix), Aldi and Lidl reported large increases in sales of plant-based milks during the same period(x), and the plant-based milk category remains strong(xi).
Over a quarter of all households bought a plant-based milk product more than once in 2023(xii) suggesting that milk alternatives are becoming increasingly normalised.
To learn about how the affordability of plant-based milks consumed at home has changed relative to dairy milk, the Food Foundation gathered data on the price of plant-based milk alternatives at three representative retailers, Tesco, Waitrose and Aldi in September 2024, and compared this with prices at the same retailers in 2022(xiii).
How have average prices changed since 2022?
We found that on average, plant-based milks from supermarkets are currently 55% more expensive than dairy milk (£1.92/litre versus £1.24 /litre).
Plant-based milk alternatives have increased on average by a larger absolute amount than dairy milk has during the last two years of high food price inflation.
Milk alternatives have increased by an average of 31p per litre since 2022 compared to dairy milk which has increased by 24p per litre.
This is a greater increase cost in absolute terms for plant-based milks but the percentage increase for dairy milk over the two-year period was higher (23% compared to 19% for alternative milks).
This means that average price gap between plant-based milks and dairy milk has decreased slightly (from 60% higher in 2022 to 55% in 2024).
Focusing in on the different milk alternatives, the greatest increase in average price between 2022 and 2024 was for almond milk alternatives, which increased by over a third (35%). Of the most frequently purchased alternatives(1), almond is now the most expensive on average at £2.06 per litre in 2024.
Oat milk alternatives, which are the most popular alternative milk type in the UK (responsible for over half - 53% - of sales volumes for plant-based milk in 2023(xiv)) saw a smaller price increase of 12%, although they are still on average £2 per litre (68% more expensive than dairy).
Soya remains the cheapest alternative milk but is still on average 26% more expensive than dairy milk at £1.56 per litre.
Focusing in on the different base-ingredient milk alternatives, the greatest increase in average price between 2022 and 2024 was for almond milk alternatives, which increased by over a third (35%). Of the most frequently purchased alternatives , almond is now the most expensive on average at £2.06 per litre in 2024. Oat milk alternatives, which are the most popular alternative milk type in the UK (responsible for over half - 53% - of sales volumes for plant-based milk in 2023 ) saw a smaller price increase of 12%, although they are still on average £2.00 per litre (68% more expensive than dairy). Soya remains the cheapest alternative milk but is still on average 26% more expensive than dairy milk at £1.56 per litre.
Availability of more affordable milk alternatives
While plant-based milk alternatives cost on average significantly more than dairy milk, this does not mean that all milk alternatives are out of reach for those on low incomes. The category is expanding with more options for different budgets, including a growth in more affordable own-label product lines alongside more premium brands.
Our survey found that own-brand alternative milks can be comparable in price or even cheaper than dairy milk.
The cheapest 25% of plant-based milks are on average £1.18, which is 6p cheaper than the average price of fresh dairy (though 12p more expensive than the cheapest quartile of fresh dairy milks).
This group of budget products includes the cheapest two alternative milks in the survey, Aldi and Tesco’s own-brand, value-range long-life soy milks priced at just 50p per litre. This is 28% less expensive than the two cheapest long life dairy milk products on sale at Aldi and Tesco, at 69p per litre(xvi).
The cheapest two milk alternatives retail at just 50p/litre (Image: Rachel Claydon)
However, it should be noted that only one of these budget soya milk alternatives was fortified with key micronutrients (discussed further below).
These cheap soya milks also did not include “deforestation free” claims unlike more premium brands but Aldi and Tesco state that they are working with their suppliers towards net-zero deforestation for soy by 2025(xvii).
While it is encouraging to see that more affordable sustainable milk alternatives are available, even if the category remains more expensive than dairy milk as a whole, it is important to ensure that these more affordable sustainable alternatives remain visible and widely available alongside heavily promoted more premium products so that plant-based alternatives are equally accessible and appealing.
Full fortification is also a pressing priority for all alternative milks, regardless of price, discussed next.
A patchy picture on fortification
The presence of affordable plant-based milks is positive, despite the fact that these more sustainable alternatives are still on average more expensive than dairy milk.
However, the current patchy picture on micronutrient fortification within milk alternatives is concerning given that cow’s milk is typically an important contributor to intakes of key micronutrients in UK diets (box 2).
A forthcoming report by the government’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) recommends that when used as an alternative for dairy milk, plant-based milks should be unsweetened and fortified with vitamin A, vitamin B2, vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium and iodine at levels least comparable to cow's milk(xviii).
Our research found that fortification levels across non-organic alternative milks vary greatly, and that fortification does not necessarily improve with price.
Less than half (42%) of non-organic alternative milk products targeted at the general population were fortified with iodine, and no products were fortified with vitamin A.
We support SACN’s call for the government to establish minimum nutritional composition requirements key micronutrients to ensure that all sustainable milk alternatives deliver on health and nutrition as well as on the environment
Plant-based milks leading the way in the transition towards plant-rich diets
In conclusion, it is encouraging to see that the price difference between plant-based milk alternatives and dairy milk has decreased slightly, and that more affordable options are available for home consumption – even if average prices for plant-based milks remain significantly higher than dairy milk.
It is important that these sustainable options are visible and available in shops of all sizes so that people of all backgrounds are able to consume them. While it is possible to find more affordable milk alternatives in supermarkets, many Out of Home sector outlets still add a price premium to plant-based milks, which must also be addressed.
The growing uptake and normalisation of plant-based milk alternatives in the UK, which represents a positive shift towards to more sustainable, sourced diets, should be celebrated.
In addition to an ongoing focus on sustainable sourcing practices, there is also an urgent need for minimum nutritional composition requirements for plant-based milks and subsequent comprehensive fortification to ensure that these more sustainable alternatives consistently deliver on health as well as on the environment.
Finally, greater transparency is needed on the environmental and nutritional profiles of milk alternatives to ensure that people have confidence that the products they are buying are both more environmentally sustainable, as well as good options from a nutrition perspective.
Looking beyond plant-based milk alternatives to the plant-based sector more broadly, other categories such as plant-based meat alternatives are still generally much less affordable than animal meat.
Recent research from The Food Foundation found that plant-based alternatives to meat remain much more expensive than meat equivalents despite their significantly lower GHGEs and water footprints.
Processed new generation alternative meats (e.g. Beyond Meat and Quorn) are 73% more expensive per 100g than animal meat, and processed traditional meat alternatives (e.g. tofu) are 38% more expensive(xix).
Meanwhile, more affordable, less processed plant-based options such as beans and lentils are still far from routinely consumed in UK diets(xx).
We have a long way to go in transforming dietary patterns but plant-based milks show us that change is possible.
References:
(1) Rice milk alternatives are the most expensive milk alternatives on average, however they have become an increasingly marginal sub-category, with only two product lines identified by the 2024 survey
(2) In addition to being unsweetened, SACN recommends that any free sugars released in processing methods are removed from plant-based milks. For example, maltose is released during the production of oat milk alternatives.
(i) Xu, X. et al. (2021) ‘Global greenhouse gas emissions from animal-based foods are twice those of plant-based foods’, Nature Food 2021 2:9. Nature Publishing Group, 2(9), pp. 724–732. doi: 10.1038/s43016-021-00358-x.
(ii) Rippin, H. et al. (2021 )Variations in greenhouse gas emissions of individual diets: Associations between the greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient intake in the United Kingdom. PLOS One. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0259418
(iv) See e.g. Benisi-Kohansal, S. et al. (2016). Whole-grain intake and mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Advances in Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.3945/an.115.011635; Dybvik, J. S., Svendsen, M., & Aune, D. (2023). Vegetarian and vegan diets and the risk of cardiovascular disease, ischemic heart disease and stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. European Journal of Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-02202942-8; Thompson, A. .(2024). A healthful plant-based diet is associated with lower type 2 diabetes risk via improved metabolic state and organ function: A prospective cohort study. Diabetes and Metabolism. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. diabet.2023.101499
(v) Connors, C. et al. (2022) The UK Public’s Interests, Needs and Concerns Around Food: Qualitative and Quantitative Evidence on Public Interests, Needs and Concerns around Food across the UK. https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/media/document/The%20UK%20Public%27s%20Interests%20Needs%20and%20Concerns%20around%20Food%20-%20Main%20UK%20report.pdf
(vi) https://foodfoundation.org.uk/sites/default/files/2022-07/The%20Broken%20Plate%202022%20report.pdf
(xiii) See Broken Plate 2025 Technical report for full details of products included in the survey.
https://foodfoundation.org.uk/sites/default/files/2025-01/2.%20Technical%20report%20BP%202025.pdf
(xvi) Note: UHT dairy milk products were not included in the average price of dairy milk to ensure that the data is comparable with that collected in 2022.
(xvii) https://www.aldi.co.uk/corporate/corporate-responsibility/greener/deforestation; https://www.tescoplc.com/sustainability/documents/policies/sourcing-soy-responsibly
(xviii)SACN/COT, forthcoming. Assessing the health benefits and risks of consuming plant-based drinks: A Joint Report from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition and the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer products and the Environment.
(xix) https://foodfoundation.org.uk/sites/default/files/2024-08/Rethinking%20Plant-Based%20Meat%20Alternatives.pdf. See also: https://gfieurope.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/UK-plant-based-food-retail-market-insights-October-2024.pdf
(xix) Lane L, Wells R, Reynolds C. Beans, peas and pulses for improved public and planetary health: Changing UK consumption patterns. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. 2024;83(OCE2):E203. doi:10.1017/S0029665124004270
* References for boxes:
Fulton, J. et al (2019) Water-indexed benefits and impacts of California almonds. Ecological Indicators 96(1), pp 711-717. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.12.063
https://www.wwf.org.uk/myfootprint/challenges/expansion-soy-bean-farms-has-led-vast-areas-deforestation-and-destruction
https://www.nutrition.org.uk/nutritional-information/protein/
SACN/COT, forthcoming. Assessing the health benefits and risks of consuming plant-based drinks: A Joint Report from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition and the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer products and the Environment.
