US milk sales drop by more than $1 billion as plant-based alternatives take off
In 2017, the market size of dairy alternatives was estimated to be around $11.9 billion, with experts predicting that the number could swell to more than $34 billion by 2024.
CARLY SITZER: ‘As different plant-based milk alternatives continue to grow tremendously in popularity, dairy farmers are seeing a significant decrease in sales of traditional cow milk. According to the Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), the sales of milk dropped about $1.1 billion last year; 2018 closed with net sales totaling $13.6 billion, compared to 2017’s $14.7 billion…
And it makes sense why the farmers may be quick to blame the growing trend of dairy alternatives: In 2017, the market size of dairy alternatives was estimated to be around $11.9 billion, with experts predicting that the number could swell to more than $34 billion by 2024…
Of course, the change to non-dairy alternatives is a healthy choice, for not only consumers but also our planet. According to a study out of the University of Oxford, the greenhouse gas emissions associated with producing a glass of dairy milk is about three times more than any of the examined dairy alternatives (for the study, researchers included rice milk, soy milk, oat milk, and almond milk).
Similarly, when they looked into how much land use and water use is involved, dairy milk required the most land and water as well. The same study found that food production is responsible for nearly one-fourth of all human-produced greenhouse gas emissions, with meat and animal products responsible for the largest portion of the food-related emissions’. SOURCE…
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