Abstract
Concerns about environmental impact and sustainability, animal welfare, and personal health issues have fueled consumer demand for dairy alternatives. The aim of this study was to conduct a cross-sectional survey of plant-based non-dairy beverages from three different continents (USA, Australia, and Western Europe) to assess their nutritional content and health profile. A total of 148 non-dairy beverages were analyzed from the nutrition label and ingredients listed on the commercial package or from the information located on the website of the manufacturer or retailer. The different types of beverages were extracts of nuts or seeds (n = 49), grains (n = 38), legumes (n = 36), coconut (n = 10), and mixed blends (n = 15). On average, the plant-based beverages generally scored well in terms of not containing high levels of sodium, saturated fat, or calories. Over half of the beverages were fortified with calcium to levels equal to or greater than that of dairy milk. The protein content varied from 0 to 10 g/serving. Levels of vitamin D and B12 fortification were quite low. Consumers should be informed of the nutritional profile and potential health benefits of plant-based dairy alternatives as the nutritional content can vary greatly between the different types of beverages.
Highlights
For our analyses we considered a 20% Daily Value (DV) as an adequate fortification for calcium, vitamin D and vitamin B12
Frequency of vitamin D fortification is especially poor in Australia (21%) compared with the USA (82%)
When all the beverages were examined against this standard we found that most of the products that were fortified reached that 20% DV standard for calcium (70%), while B12 fortification achieving the 20% DV level were only 35–40% of the beverages, and vitamin D fortification to the 20% DV standard were remarkably low (24%)
Summary
A visit to the dairy section of any major supermarket in the West will reveal the vast array of non-dairy plant-based beverages based upon a wide variety of plant products. The popularity of these products has dramatically increased over the past decade. The non-dairy milk industry in the US grew 61% from 2012 to 2018 [2]. Millennials, who make up nearly one quarter of the US population, are reported to be the largest group to consume non-dairy milk with 77% of them buying the beverages regularly [3]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
