Soy milk, oat milk, almond milk and more - the selection of plant-based alternatives to cow's milk is remarkably diverse these days. Nevertheless, customers have to dig deeper into their wallets than for the original, the ingredients are often cheaper, and there are also no costs for animal feed and husbandry. Why are milk alternatives still more expensive than cow's milk? And that despite the fact that they consist largely of water? We tell you the four most common reasons.
Lower demand: This is why plant-based milk is more expensive than cow's milk
Even if sales of plant-based milk, yoghurt and other alternatives were 536 million euros last year - for original dairy products, they were almost fifty times as much in 2019, namely 27 billion euros! The (still) low demand for alternative dairy products is driving prices up.
The explanation for this lies in the production: In production, the expenditure decreases as the production volume increases. The more milk is bottled, the cheaper the liter becomes. It is therefore understandable that the still high demand for conventional cow's milk means that a liter sometimes costs only around 70 cents - whether that is a good price in general is another matter. In comparison, the same amount of branded plant drink can cost more than two euros! The desire for plant-based alternatives is still too small, the suppliers produce too little.
Plant-based milk is marketed as a trendy drink
It's usually like this: as soon as a trend is in the starting blocks, many people become curious and want to know what's behind it. Does it cost what it may? Maybe not quite. But buyers of plant-based drinks are willing to pay more for them because they are considered a respected alternative to conventional milk. The target group is environmentally conscious, follows a healthy lifestyle and/or follows an animal-free diet for ethical reasons. She is willing to pay more for it.
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Higher marketing and development costs are price drivers for plant drinks
Speaking of marketing: The costs of advertising animal-free milk are sometimes higher because it is not yet as widely known as cow's milk. That's why we invest in advertising. Dairy farmers, in turn, benefit from the popularity of their product, which no longer requires large marketing campaigns.
Another advantage of conventional milk: it has been consumed for thousands of years, and the producers follow a proven recipe. The situation is completely different with products made from soy, oats and the like: improvements are still being made here, new lines such as barista editions, which can be foamed better, are coming onto the market. And this pursuit of innovation and the search for more optimal combinations of ingredients also costs money.
Good to know: Fish alternatives are also significantly more expensive than the animal original. This was confirmed by the consumer center in a test of vegan fish products.
Higher taxes and lack of government subsidies
Anyone who buys cow's milk only pays the reduced sales tax of seven percent. However, the full 19 percent is charged for soy milk and other alternatives.
The tax was introduced in Germany in the 1960s. At that time, it was regulated, among other things, that drinks, unlike other foods, were subject to the higher tax rate. However, they agreed on one exception: milk and tap water should be taxed at the lower rate. And that's still the case today.
In addition, animal husbandry is heavily subsidized in the EU, with annual support amounting to more than 13 billion euros.
Also interesting: Not only milk alternatives are conquering the market, meat substitutes are also becoming increasingly popular. However, the boss of the Rügenwalder Mühle warns: Could the veggie boom soon be over due to a lack of raw materials?
Vegan nutrition at BILD der FRAU
With all the milk alternatives, you may have wondered what the difference is between the different drinks. We would be happy to explain this to you in our video:
If you are already vegan or are curious about a meatless diet, then it is best to browse through our gallery. Here we have collected a few of our favorite vegan recipes:
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Sources: milchindustrie.de, statista.de, now.de, vegan.ch
