Opting for plant milk at coffee shops has never been easier. Many top businesses, like Starbucks and Pret A Manger, have become more inclusive and sustainable by dropping the extra charge for dairy-free milk, and others like Costa Coffee, Caffè Nero, and following PETA’s campaign, Gails offer at least one vegan milk at no additional cost.
Dairy milk consumption has nearly halved in the past 50 years as consumers switch to ethical, sustainable, healthy vegan milk.
But some businesses still penalise customers who choose dairy-free by charging more for all plant milks.
What’s Wrong With Dairy Milk?
Cows are intelligent, gentle animals who suffer when farmed for their milk. Cows on dairy farms are selectively bred to produce unnaturally high volumes of milk. Like humans, polar bears, and squirrels, cows produce milk for their babies. Cows confined for dairy are forcibly impregnated and have their calves taken away from them shortly after birth – so that humans can take their milk – causing grief and anguish to mother and baby. When cows’ exhausted bodies are no longer considered ‘useful’ to the industry, they’re sent to slaughter.
Dairy farming is a major cause of greenhouse gas emissions and air and water pollution and uses more land and water than any plant milk. For coffee shops, plant milks can slash the carbon footprint of hot drinks by 50% to 75%, so removing the upcharge also removes a barrier for customers seeking a more sustainable option.
While it’s perfect for calves, cow’s milk is unnatural for humans which is why most have difficulty digesting it. Cow’s milk is also associated with a greater risk of breast and prostate cancer and is the leading cause of fatal food anaphylaxis in children under 16. And drinking milk from another species, and after weaning, is just plain weird.
Offering dairy for free but charging for plant milks nudges consumers towards an unnatural, cruel, and unsustainable option. Thankfully, there’s a growing list of businesses that don’t charge extra for any vegan milk:
- Abbey Road Cafe
- AMT Coffee
- % Arabica
- Bear
- Blank Street
- Boston Tea Party
- Coughlans Bakery
- Dunkin Donuts
- Gourmet Coffee Bar & Kitchen
- Grind Coffee
- Joe & the Juice
- M&S Café
- Monmouth Coffee Company
- Patisserie Valerie
- Paul
- Pret A Manger
- Starbucks
- Tim Hortons
- Waitrose Cafes
- WatchHouse
- Wolfox
- 200 Degrees Coffee Roasters
And yet, there are still coffee shop chains that charge extra for all vegan milk. And yet, Coffee Republic, Federal Café and Bar, and Redemption Roasters are failing customers with a vegan milk upcharge.
What You Can Do
Speak up, if your local coffee shop charges more for vegan milks let them know why you are getting your caffeine fix elsewhere.
Many businesses claim that it costs them more to source plant milks, but if the businesses above can operate without charging customers more for dairy-free, so can others.
If anything, businesses should charge more for dairy to better reflect the true cost to animals and the planet.
Urge these coffee chains to drop the extra charge for vegan milk.
Searching for Perfect Vegan Milk for Your Flat White?
There’s a huge range of options available, so we’ve put together a guide to some of the best vegan milks available in the UK – and how to use them:
