Australian milk consumption strong compared to vegan alternatives

They get a lot of publicity — but new data shows oat, soy and other alternatives get little market share compared to cow product.

Nine out of 10 Australian households still drink milk.

Australians shoppers aren’t “falling for the spin” over man-made milk alternatives, a farm lobby leader says.

Australian Dairy Farmers president Ben Bennett welcomed new consumer data this week that confirmed 96.4 per cent of Australian households purchase milk.

The figures from Dairy Australia’s latest situation and outlook report detail a slight decline in the number of households regularly purchasing milk — from 97.4 per cent in the year to January 2023, down to 96.4 per cent in the year to January 2024.

Cheese consumption had a similar trajectory with 97.9 per cent of households buying some form of cheese in January 2023 compared to 97.2 per cent at the same time this year.

Mr Bennett said despite the rise in prominence of dairy competitors such as oat, soy and almond, dairy milk remained the overwhelming favourite among Australians.

“These figures tell us that in a room of 100 people, there would be just three who don’t buy milk. Thankfully, that’s a small number,” the ADF president said.

“We take this as a sign that consumers aren’t falling for the spin surrounding man-made milk alternatives.

“Companies who produce fake milk products are riding on the coat-tails of Australian dairy, offering a product that falls well short in the nutrition stakes.”

The Nielsen HomeScan figures supplied to Dairy Australia also showed 90.4 per cent of Australian households bought yoghurt in the year to January 2024, down slightly from 91.1 per cent over a 12-month period.

A similar decline was registered with the butter and butter blend spread category, with 83.5 per cent of Australians opting for some form of dairy spread, down from the 2023 figure of 85.1 per cent of households.

Dairy Australia marketing chief Glenys Zucco said only 2 per cent of households purchased exclusively plant-based substitutes.

“39.7 per cent of Australian households purchase plant-based beverages, of those 37.3 per cent purchase both dairy and alternatives,” Ms Zucco said.

“Consumption of milk within Australia is amongst some of the highest rates in the world, similar to several European countries, and this is supported by its staple status within Australian diets.”

Ms Zucco noted there had been a slight decrease in households purchasing products across all dairy categories.

“In saying that, the volume of products sold across key categories such as cheese, butter and yoghurt has actually increased, with Australians buying dairy more often,” she said.