U.S. Plant Milk Converts Likely to Come Back for More

August 22 is World Plant Milk Day. The day is intended to celebrate the alternatives to dairy-based milk, including varieties of oat, almond, pea and coconut milk, among others. These substitutes are growing in popularity around the world, driven partly by consumers’ increased awareness of their environmental benefits and the importance of food sustainability.

Data from Statista’s Consumer Insights survey shows that while plant-milk consumers are still a minority in the U.S., those who have tried a milk alternative in recent months are highly likely to consume it again. As the following chart shows, the U.S. brand Silk is the most popular among U.S. consumers, having been tried by just over a third of respondents in the 12 months prior to the survey. Of those, 86 percent said that they would likely drink it again. California’s own Blue Diamond Almond Breeze was similarly popular, having been consumed by three in ten respondents recently, with 84 percent of respondents saying they would consume it again. By contrast, the Swedish brand Oatly, which is one of the most popular milk substitute brands in Europe, was tried by just 10 percent of U.S. respondents in the run-up to the survey.

As part of the same survey, Statista also asked U.S. adults about which aspects are most important when deciding which milk alternative brands to buy. The most common answers were high value, the brand being honest/trustworthy, authentic and reliable.