New Survey: Half of Omnivores Drink Plant-Based Milks

A recent survey conducted by vegan milk company Califia Farms revealed that 50 percent of self-proclaimed omnivores consume dairy-free milk regularly. The survey was posed online to 2,500 users of healthy eating app BerryCart and collected data from a range of consumers that identified themselves as omnivore, pescatarian, flexitarian, kosher, vegetarian, and vegan. The majority of respondents (63 percent) identified as omnivores, and half of that group admitted to consuming plant-based milks several times per week. Additionally, the survey revealed that omnivores purchased alternative milks because 63 percent thought they were healthier, 29 percent liked the taste, and 20 percent believed plant-based milks were more humanely produced than its dairy counterparts. A whopping 73 percent of total respondents also believed that meat and dairy were not sustainable and thought a plant-based diet was more realistic for the future. These statistics go to support that the plant-milk industry is gaining traction amongst all consumers for reasons related to growing concerns about health, ethics, and sustainability. BerryCart explained that “plant-based beverages are no longer ‘niche’ and are rapidly entering the mainstream,” which is supported by industry data showing an increase of household penetration of non-dairy milks from 27.3 percent in 2013 to 55 percent in 2015.