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There was a time when it was fashionable to poke fun at vegans.

We dabbled, but then you realise that the planet is in tatters and anybody taking steps to try and do their bit should be applauded, not ridiculed.

I’ll probably never go full vegan, but cutting down on meat consumption, and looking at ways to reduce my carbon footprint, is at least a start.

A popular switch has seen consumers moving away from actual milk, and towards alternatives like ‘milk’ made from almond, cashew, rice, oats, soy, coconut, or hemp.

That’s all well and good, but you may not be doing as much for the cause as you think.

Last year, reports The Telegraph, UK-based charity Sustainable Food Trust (SFT) actually implored Brits to switch from soya milk back to grass-fed cows’ milk:

This is because global consumption of soya products is rising, and much of this is produced on land created by deforestation.

The Amazon rainforest has suffered a great deal of loss due to the soya industry.

However, the report also points out that livestock is frequently fed with soya in animal feed, which accounts for a large part of the profitability of the unsustainable soya industry.

The issue was highlighted again this week when Adam Henson, presenter of the BBC show Countryfile, said Brits wanting to make a difference were better off drinking milk from a local farm than soya milk.

It’s worth noting that he owns a large farm, but his reasons are unpacked further in another Telegraph article:

He’s absolutely right, of course. But how has it come to this? Why are some people turning their backs on proper, healthy cows’ milk in favour of industrial, ultra-processed sludge that may be made from destructively farmed nuts? Nuts that have often been intensively cultivated in California, which is where most of the almonds used for milk are grown?

It is said that 12 litres of water are required to grow one almond there. California’s aquifers – the rock and sediment that holds groundwater – are being depleted quicker than they can be refilled.

In addition, there are the food miles racked up by these “environmentally friendly” products to consider. They inevitably exceed the food miles travelled by milk from your local farm.

Netflix documentaries like What The Health and Cowspiracy have certainly played a role, much like how Seaspiracy (and maybe My Octopus Teacher) have decreased the desire to eat seafood.

Almond milk is also a popular alternative, but as we have discussed in the past, you’re not doing bees any favours.

Back to dairy, and as Henson points out, not all cows’ milk is created equal:

There’s a big difference between a small UK dairy farmer with 80 or so cows and good animal welfare practices, and an intensive, industrial, high tech dairy business in the US.

As with any food category, when buying milk, you need to choose wisely and well. It should come from free range cows that have been kept on grass and pasture-fed.

Choosing wisely and well applies to a huge range of the products we consume, not just dairy.

Unfortunately, the truth becomes muddled when there are lobbyists pushing different agendas (Big Pharma, Big Milk?), but doing your research before hopping on board with the latest trend is always recommended.

[sources:telegraph&telegraph]